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Suggestions for improvements

mattachinemattachine Member Posts: 189 Arc User
edited June 2015 in The Foundry
Granted, I'm pretty new at using the Neverwinter foundry, but I've played Champions Online since Beta and Star Trek Online as well as now Neverwinter Online. I've played with the foundry quite a bit in STO but never published any of the missions I've done there.

Despite being a novice at this I've discovered a lot of things that needs attention. Some more then others. I've tried to sort them in to categories, but the categories aren't sorted in any form of priority order, when is comes to what I feel needs to be done first.

I would also like to say that Cryptic will benefit even more from more quality foundry quests, so giving the authors a better working/more advanced/more unfriendly tool with access to more in game resources will be a win/win situation.

Let's start with my suggestions:



Animations
Add more animations that are available from your other games Champions and Star Trek that would work in this setting as well.
Sitting chair/throne/bench animation (I'm amazed that this doesn't already exist and I needed it at least 25 times in my first quest).
Make all (posture) animations available to everyone of all species and genders (some male templates only have female postures and the other way around (and while I'm 100% for being able to have a male using a female stance and a woman using a male one, sometimes the limited amount of templates makes it impossible to find the right match).
Make elderly & children postures and animations. If I want rascals running around the streets pick-pocketing or playing "tag" or "hide and seek" or elderly needing help with heavy lifting or finding their long lost child or just crossing the busy road, I really think I should be able to do that without the immense trouble of trying to make a grown man in to a child like creature that has no working animations or have elders with legs with knees that are more narrow then the space between their eyes.



More sounds
Farm animal sound pack (cows, sheep, goats). Preferable different versions like, a single animal, a bunch of animals, plays once or loop-able. For whenever I want a farm or even a city. These kinds of animals should be seen pretty much everywhere, even in cities as they are taken to be sold at markets. So the sounds they make make sense in a lot of settings.

Wilde-life animal sound pack (bears, foxes, wolves, tigers/lions, rabbits, toads/frogs, crows). Preferable different versions like, a single animal, a bunch of animals, plays once or loop-able. Considering the amount of times we're in rural areas, running in to these kinds of creatures should be quite common. So hearing them would be even more common.

Make all sounds possible to set as ambient room sounds and ambient area sounds. For instance the winter & summer festivity music files. They are only possible to use as ambient sphere sounds. When I might need to use them in a cathedral or a tavern. But then either end up with silent corners or music heard from places outside where it shouldn't be heard.

Make it possible to decide if a sound should be loop-able or not, even if it is not designed as such. Well it just fails my sense of logic that some sounds like music aren't loop-able. Or at least possible to set the amount of times it is played in a row. If I want a wolf constantly howling in the background why can't I without having to resort to a thunderstorm or something else that plays for an eternity between the howls.

Allow us to define the radius of where the area sounds will be heard. I know we can change the radius bu raising the sound playing sphere higher on the map. Problem is if you have more then one floor of the map. Then that sound will play on the wrong floor.

Allow us to set an ambient sound to loop on an entire map. So if I make a huge forest map and want the creepy forest sound to play through out the entire map, then I have to use up valuable sound slots to try and cover the entire map with it. And due to it being spheres there will always be either overlapping or spots not covered.





More resources
Add all the assets from the newest expansion mods to the foundry. This should be a default working procedure. Release a new mod, add flags to all assets to they are automatically added to the Foundry as well. As it has to do with flagging them as usable there. Shouldn't be too difficult if it is done from the start on all new assets when they are added to the game. Like the fundamental earth head with snakes and the fundamental air one with wings etc (sorry I can't remember their names at the moment).

Farm animals geometry (cows, sheep, goats). These kinds of animals should be seen pretty much everywhere, even in cities as they are taken to be sold at markets.

Wilde-life geometry (bears, foxes, wolves, tigers/lions, rabbits, toads/frogs, crows). Should be possible to have on all woodland, lake, river and swamp maps. I know there are some bear/tiger/panther/cougar mounts, but that is not the same thing as actual encounters with special attacks. Or allow us to make kit-bast attacks from already existing animations from encounters. Although rabbits and toad/frog attacks (should be at least) are an extreamly rare thing to hear about and even rarer to experience, maybe that is needed to add.

Add all mounts that are not already in the foundry need to be added so we can use them as rid-able NPCs, regular NPCs or as encounters. Possibly as BOSS-difficulty encounters (which are poorly lacking at the moment in the Foundry).

Give us the option to pick the colour of the type of portal we want or make more portals available in more colours like orange (fire), white cloud), black (smoke), red (magic) or blue (water).
Best would be to give us some either RGB code change for the existing portals or giving them a complete colour chart to change their colour with. This should possibly be adapted to any object/light that gives off any form of light as well.



Character customization
Facial hair needs to be an option that can be turned on/off and edited to both colour, amount and shape. I've lost count the times I've noticed too late that the template I have used have stubble or other facial hair that doesn't change colour when I change the colour of the hair and eyebrows.

Add all the available clothing in the game to the foundry. Especially make the non profession clothing used by civilians available to all NPCs we make. Maybe even make the buy-able clothing from the Zen store available. Possibly as unlocks for those that have bought them or one of their toons in game. Which includes (but is not limited to) things like both male/female courtesans. Head masks, dragon design etc headwear, pants and shirt, medic outfit, allowing females to use the striped pants etc.

Allow us to edit what they are wearing on their hands not just arms. Such as removing gloves, putting gloves on. Changing colour on their nails/claws.

Give us the option to remove clothing from arms, chest or legs if needed, so part of them will look like the standard empty templates (the templates that has underwear). Except we need to have an option for bare feet (that can be made to have different levels of dirtiness on them).

Giving us something to cover the ugly underwear with on the outfits that show skin, without having to cover up the entire body. Or allow us the same colour options for the underwear as we have for the clothes we put on over them. Or give us some better looking underwear for the outfits that show the underwear when used.

We need to be able to not wear armor on NPCs if we don't like to. Everyone in the Forgotten Realms can't be adventurers or soldiers.

Make it possible to save a character's look that you've created in the game and enable the possibility to import that saved look in to the Foundry (not the other way around). As it is not it's impossible to get someone you've created in the game to look the same in the Foundry. I hope that is not intended and can be rectified.

We need more elderly body templates where the legs aren't thick as logs or the knees aren't thick as finger joints. As it seems those two options are the only ones, unless you make a ghost.

We also need an option to change the posture so they hare hunched over.

As well as an option to torn any NPC design we make in to a ghost if needed.



Technical fixes
Fix the broken pathways points and increase the amount used per map. They get to many sharp turns unless we don't place out many markers at each turn to lessen the angle between each marker.

Make it so it is possible to test portals without publishing a quest.



Interactions
Make it possible to add a PC's mount and/or companion to participate in a conversation as well as other NPCs possible to change during the same (one single) conversations (dialogue).
Which would be possible if we could change an NPC's costume in the middle of a conversation and that you included flags for companions and mounts owned and currently used by the PC.
Those ID:S needs to be easily retrievable as they are added in almost all maps in one way or an other.

Or make it possible to unlock these assets as rewards for making foundry quests or make the assets available as packs in the zen store.



Editing maps
Enabling choosing more then one object in 3D edit so we can move entire walls or other connected objects all at once. Or give us a way to group objects where we can lock that group or unlock it.

The "Y" co-ordinates when copy and pasting multiple objects must retain the same Y coordinates as the original object. Or allow us to select a group of items in 3D edit that we can copy and edit in that way so we can move all of them there to the right height.

Finally, let us save grouped objects as presets so we can use them again in an other map or an other room.
Such as a decorated altar or a set kitchen table or a group of floors/ceilings that we've built. Or even entire rooms with all it's content.
Post edited by mattachine on

Comments

  • reiwulfreiwulf Member Posts: 2,687 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    I couldn't agree more mattachine, most of the things you mentioned would be indeed amazing.
    the problem is that the devs have shown again and again that they don't really care for the foundry (not them specifically, I mean cryptic as a business) They don't care about it because it doesn't bring direct revenue to them, and even more, after being given plenty of ideas on hows to monetize the foundry, they have ignored it and continue to ignore the foundry altogether.
    I can only conclude they want the foundry to fail.
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  • mattachinemattachine Member Posts: 189 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    reiwulf wrote: »
    I couldn't agree more mattachine, most of the things you mentioned would be indeed amazing.
    the problem is that the devs have shown again and again that they don't really care for the foundry (not them specifically, I mean cryptic as a business) They don't care about it because it doesn't bring direct revenue to them, and even more, after being given plenty of ideas on hows to monetize the foundry, they have ignored it and continue to ignore the foundry altogether.
    I can only conclude they want the foundry to fail.

    If that is truly the reason, then the shareholders should be outraged over the poor business decisions that have been made.
  • essentiessenti Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 303 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    mattachine wrote: »
    If that is truly the reason, then the shareholders should be outraged over the poor business decisions that have been made.

    Sadly, I think it's more likely that the shareholders and their on-site financial oversight personnel are THE wrench in the gears. There are way too many instances where board members and their cronies (with only dollar signs in there eyes) do far more harm than their financial support provides toward the welfare of a corporation.

    "Woah... You really slipped this quarter. Here. We'll send over this Process Improvement specialist (that knows absolutely nothing about game development). You WILL do what they recommend, or we--and our money--are outta here."
    Campaign - Trail of the Imaskarcana (NWS-DMFG77QOF)
    • A Mere Expedition! (NW-DIAAPG3S4)
    • Work In Progress on Part 2
  • mattachinemattachine Member Posts: 189 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    essenti wrote: »
    Sadly, I think it's more likely that the shareholders and their on-site financial oversight personnel are THE wrench in the gears. There are way too many instances where board members and their cronies (with only dollar signs in there eyes) do far more harm than their financial support provides toward the welfare of a corporation.

    "Woah... You really slipped this quarter. Here. We'll send over this Process Improvement specialist (that knows absolutely nothing about game development). You WILL do what they recommend, or we--and our money--are outta here."

    You could be right. They let any morons buy shares and with the way the world is going it wouldn't surprise me if the shareholders' IQ all summed together would still be vastly overshadowed by the IQ of someone like Einstein.

    But even drops of water can hollow out a stone so if the Devs and CEO really see the potential of adding things that will generate more profit as a whole they must be able to by sheer tenacity be able to eventually present a well enough supported case to the board and shareholders to make a difference.
  • maegmaagmaegmaag Member Posts: 332 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    Time by time i myself feel the urge to express some of my opinions and wishes, but twas clearly stated (by producer fe) foundry is done as it is. We will most likely get something (some assets), but, the past year/s experience and "spokesman" expression taken into account , its as well very unlikely there will ever be a single person dedicated to maintaining and improving the foundry.

    Take the foundry for what it is. Maybe even for less for various and the aforementioned reasons. Ever heard about Godot?
    dAuGVxU.png
    A bit nosy NW-DKG7E99X6
    "Hardcore" exploration journey and dungeon crawl. Read its description prior to trying it.
  • eldartheldarth Member Posts: 4,494 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    You also might want to see the looooong list of requests we've collected since beta.
    ...and the "feedback" provided to Cryptic per one of their (no longer) employees.
    ...and the long list of "pre-existing detail assets" requested.
    ...and the long list of "[URL="http://12-03-2013 Request: Sounds For Foundry"]audio assets[/URL]" requested.

    ...and if you are going to be working in the foundry much you might like to glance over the current foundry bugs list.

    We were also informed by @panderus that their development is pretty much already schedule thru mod 8 so *maybe* sometime after mod 8 he *might* *try* and get a *little* foundry development.
  • zahinderzahinder Member Posts: 897 Arc User
    Checking in for my quarterly SIGH.

    Yep, same as I left it.

    New forum stuff, though. Hey all.
    Campaign: The Fenwick Cycle NWS-DKR9GB7KH

    Wicks and Things: NW-DI4FMZRR4 : The Fenwick merchant family has lost a caravan! Can you help?

    Beggar's Hollow: NW-DR6YG4J2L : Someone, or something, has stolen away many of the Fenwicks' children! Can you find out what happened to them?

    Into the Fen Wood: NW-DL89DRG7B : Enter the heart of the forest. Can you discover the secret of the Fen Wood?
  • instynctiveinstynctive Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 1,885 Arc User
    Alas... I'm afraid that we're just...

    girl-shouting-at-brick-wall.jpg

    They are truly sitting on a goldmine with Foundry stuff, but letting it die a slow, painful death like they are is .. not a great decision, IMHO.
    header.png
    "...I grab my wiener and charge!" - ironzerg79
  • torontodavetorontodave Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 992 Arc User
    No shareholders, PWE CEO took the company private again.

    Foundry is an untapped gold mine though, you're right about that.

    User generated content is FREE CONTENT for them.. If they only made rewards for PLAYING THE FOUNDRY WORTHWHILE!


    Still can't believe they gave Aquamarines away in IWD HE's for so long, and ignored giving 15min unplayed foundries REAL REWARDS! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhh. =X

    #AuthorRage
    NW-DSQ39N5SJ - 'To Infinity, and BEYOND!' - Spelljammer Quest. Skyships, Indiana Jones moments
    NW-DC9R4J5EH - 'The Black Pearl' - Spelljammer! Phlo Riders and Space Orcs
    Thanks for all the fish.
  • instynctiveinstynctive Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 1,885 Arc User
    Since they aren't actually making updates to the Foundry, it would be super nice if we could access the editor during Maintenance...
    header.png
    "...I grab my wiener and charge!" - ironzerg79
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