Neverwinter Nights The Witch's Wake Fan-Created Content Profile #4 - Inventory Spy

Fan-Created Content Profile #4 - Inventory Spy

Profile by Rob Bartel, Oct 9 2002

Author: Dom Queron (Georg Zoeller) Intended Users: DMs as well as Builders (see below) Download Locations: - Gulbsoft Systems - NWVault

Fan-Created Content & the Witchwork Series:

The Witchwork Series is an official NWN story arc to be released as free, downloadable modules by the BioWare Live Team. Part of our goal with the series is to showcase some of the innovative enhancements and systems being developed by members of our steadily growing fan community. Each of the profiles that we release over the weeks leading up to first module’s release will focus on another fan-created component that you’ll be able to experience in our coming series.

But why wait for us? Many of these components are already being used in other modules so try playing some of them to see how they feel. If you’re working on a module of your own, consider using some of these components to make your creation a richer and deeper experience for your players. Pitch new ideas to their creators and get involved in their development.

The fourth fan-created component we’ve chosen to include in the Witchwork series was a late addition but its solution was so elegant, its value so apparent, and its creator so darn cool that we just couldn’t help ourselves. Like the previously profiled DM’s Helper, the Player Inventory Spy is a tool designed to empower NWN Dungeon Masters and make their job a little easier. Where the DM’s Helper will list a player’s inventory in the DM’s chat window, the Inventory Spy will actually allow you to examine those items in an actual container. You can remove those you don’t like and add any new ones that you think might be necessary, just like a DM might in a pen & paper campaign.

Dom Queron (aka Georg Zoeller) is the Spy’s German creator and has contributed all manner of useful and well-implemented widgets to the community, ranging from a visible rope-climbing system to banks where adventurers can deposit and transfer their hard-earned gold to an entire system for the construction (and destruction) of siege weapons. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Check out his wonderful website and take a peek at all of the crazy stuff he’s offering to the NWN Community.

Author’s Description:

Dom Q’s Inventory Spy - Version 1.0

Inventory Spy is a small package of scripts designed to give DMs the ability to visually examine the equipment their players possess. This is done by jumping the player into an examination area, "downloading" their equipment to an inspection container where a DM can check it, add or remove items and finally "upload" it to the player again, who subsequently is transported back to the spot where the DM snatched him. The whole thing is compact (only 9 scripts), easy to install and HCR compatible.

Intended Users:

DMs who allow Local Vault Characters on their servers or who just want to know which firepower/tricks their players will use against their favourite villains. Also Builders/Scripters could be interested in InvSpy as the scripts are heavily commented and can easily be added to a module at the end of the design process.

Project Status:

The current release of Inventory Spy is Final. I think builders have better things to do than to track numerous scripts and projects in order to keep their modules up to date. I am working on a version #2 which will feature "synchronous editing" (editing player inventory on the fly without locking him) and automatic removal of items meeting DM defined criteria.

An Interview with the Creator

BioWare: So who the heck are you and does your boss know how much time you’re spending on Neverwinter?

Georg: I'm 25 and a student of computer science at the University of Applied Science in Darmstadt, Germany (a fact that negates the need for a boss). Before I've worked as software developer for several years, writing database and business applications. I'm with D&D and CRPGs since the early 90's (still DMing a PnP campaign). I especially love to create adventures, worlds and riddles, which is probably the reason for the heavy NWN addiction I developed during the last ~100 days.

BioWare: Germany has a strong tradition of roleplaying and has always been one of BioWare’s primary foreign language markets. Do you have any thoughts on why that is? (Please tell me it’s not the lederhosen!)

Georg: We still have many castles and middle-age structures over here, so I guess RPGs with the usual "knights, castles and dragons" themes are especially appealing for us :). As far as "lederhosen" go, you can safely discard them as a myth from the realm of drow, dragons and Bavarians...

BioWare: You never seem to run out of ideas of what to do next for the Neverwinter community. How do you decide what your next project will be and where do you get your inspiration from? Think you can tell us a bit about what might be next?

Georg: InvSpy was written because one of the players in my own little NWN campaign developed the nasty habit of getting his hands on items not meant for player hands, collecting more than 10,000 gp and some plot items in less than two hours with a first level character ... and I just could not take the stuff away from him. Most other scripts were born either because people requested them on the official boards and I found the idea interesting/challenging, or because I needed them for my campaign.

What might be next? Hmmm... I am currently trying to recreate some aspects from my favorite/first RPG of all times, Ultima VI, for NWN. I also hope to provide a set of API scripts for NWVault's AI Wars Project in the near future. I've yet to release a module too....

BioWare: Of all the different systems and widgets you’ve contributed to the community, do you have any favorites?

Georg: I am quite happy with my first tries on NPC schedules (the Woodcutter) and some of my interactive placeables.

BioWare: Do you know of any modules currently making use of your systems? Do you have any favorites or ones that you feel deserve a special mention?

Georg: Last week I stumbled across my Woodcutter NPC in some module I played online and he thanked me for his existence ... a very rewarding experience :) Apart from that I've seen my Bindstone System (an alternate handling of player death/respawn) in quite a few modules. I'd like to mention the module TBH01: Shadows of the Bloody Hand, which uses the Bindstone System in an nice way to control campaign flow.

BioWare: A number of your systems seem to be targeted towards persistent worlds. Are you currently a part of any of the persistent world projects (as a player, DM, builder, advisor)? Any good stories to share?

Georg: Before switching to NWN I have been running roleplaying events on a European Dark Age of Camelot server, an interesting experience which certainly influenced my first NWN scripts. I've yet to try a NWN persistent world, not enough time for this currently. Btw, persistence is a great thing for rpgs, not necessarily only for MMORPGs - you develop stronger ties to your character and his world.

BioWare: Thanks for the interview, Dom. Do you have any final thoughts or advice you’d like to conclude with?

Georg: The NWN community is the most active and "professional" online community I've ever been part of. With sites like the Vault (thanks Max!) and the Lexicon (which I frequently use) out there, creating content for the game is almost as cool as playing it. I'd love to see a more interactive gameworld in future bioware games ... and of course an even more powerful scripting language :)