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Tyrants of the Moonsea

Profile by Jay Watamaniuk

Working with BioWare on his own premium module, Luke J.S. Scull, a.k.a Alazander, experienced some of the trials and tribulations of game development, including the need to shelve a project when unforeseen circumstances arise. We are very fortunate we can take a look at all the hard work and talent that went into Tyrants now that Luke has released the module on NWVault for the public. Congratulations to Luke on his work and we hope to see more from him in the coming months!

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When did you start work on Tyrants of the Moonsea?

Luke: I started work on the module back in September 2005, although the name Tyrants of the Moonsea was already firmly established way back in 2002; it was to be the name of my second module after Siege of Shadowdale. Alas, I wasn't happy with how that was progressing and scrapped it in favour of another module, Crimson Tides of Tethyr, which just picked up the Module of the Year 2005 Bronze Award. I'm happy that I made the correct decision. :)

Can you tell us a little bit about the module and what we can expect?

Luke: Tyrants of the Moonsea is a high-level adventure set in the Forgotten Realms, in the harsh frontier land called the Moonsea. A mysterious cult known as the Order of the Crippled Fang has recently arisen in the region, intent on causing death and destruction for reasons known only to them. Tensions are running high, with the dread seat of the Black Network, Zhentil Keep, suspecting the rival city of Hillsfar is to blame. In the harshest winter in living memory, it is only a matter of time before war erupts and blood soaks the snow-cloaked lands of the Moonsea.

The module features 6-10 hours of gameplay and presents a compelling story spanning several exciting locations in the Moonsea area. High-level foes abound, as deadly as anything the player has faced before: beholders, archmages, deadly swordsmen, and dragons lie between the player and his quest to defeat the evil Order. And, as always, things are never quite as they seem....

In terms of new content, the module features DLA's Cloaks and Tabards system, which makes for truly impressive-looking clothing. While I am using an early version of this material (DLA are changing the way the system works for their upcoming Wyvern's Crown), it should be clear from the screenshots that the impact this new clothing has is huge. After using it extensively in designing the NPCs for Tyrants of the Moonsea, I don't think I could go back to using the default clothing. This is the way fantasy roleplaying apparel is supposed to look.

In addition, Tyrants of the Moonsea also features a Dragonkin; again, kindly provided by the folks at DLA. The Dragonkin features parts and .plt based textures that use the new override for monster .plt textures, something that was specifically requested by DLA. The creature looks absolutely fantastic and makes for one of the module's major villains. Anthony Maranakis, DLA's 2d and concept artist, did an awesome job on the portrait for this creature. In fact, there are both male and female portraits; only the male version features in Tyrants of the Moonsea. You can check out Anthony's work in the Gallery section of DLA's website.

Last but not least, I must mention the terrific music contributed by talented composer David John. Tyrants of the Moonsea features three original tracks by David, entitled Voonlar, Moonsea Depths, and Arena. I was amazed by the quality of all three pieces, as well as the way in which David managed to convey exactly the mood I was looking for from only a few short paragraphs of descriptive text. Already, I have had many comments remarking on the quality of the music in Tyrants of the Moonsea. To have a listen for yourself, head on over to the Vault (where all three pieces are available as a separate download), or go to David's website.

Gamers can download the module from the NWVault. How has fan response been so far?

Luke: Fan response has been terrific. I received almost 2,500 downloads in the module's first week on the Vault, and already a large number of players have voted and left feedback. The unfortunate cancellation of the Premium Module programme meant that I needed to shorten the module considerably from what was originally planned, and I think players are conscious of the feeling that perhaps something is missing. They're right, which is why I'm already planning a sequel module (my last for NWN1). Despite some understandable disappointment that the module wasn't longer, the feedback thus far has been mainly positive and an average score of 9.67 after 64 votes paints a very good picture.

What was it like working with BioWare?

Luke: Working with BioWare was generally a pleasurable experience. I found Rob Bartel (Live Team Lead Designer) to be an extremely helpful and friendly guy, and several other folks (such as Stanley Woo) impressed me with their enthusiasm. I probably wasn't as involved with BioWare as I might have been due to the cancellation occurring while I was still at a fairly early stage in the module development, but my overall impressions are very favourable. That said, one of the things that did trouble me on occasion was the length of time it took for things on the business end to be tied up. Rob and the design team replied to my queries regarding the design process as regularly as clockwork, but there were one or two uncomfortably large delays with the legal side of things. For example, I started the module in September but didn't actually receive the contract until February. I can't envisage too many plausible scenarios that'd make this seem like a reasonable delay.

What did you learn about the development process along the way?

Luke: Well, in truth, the module was never really far enough along in the process for me to learn a great deal. I was in full-scale building mode when the bad news hit, so I never got to experience the beta-testing and finalization stages of development. Having observed the trials of other teams, and even BioWare's difficulties with their own internal projects, it is clear that games development isn't quite the non-stop romance I suspected it might be. While I could easily settle into a design role, I don't think I'd want to become a producer any time soon.

Can we expect more from you?

Luke: My current plan is to take a small break from the NWN scene and experience some of the other wonders of life (e.g. fresh air, bathing, that kind of thing) and then start work on my final module, AL4, in a few weeks. There are still plots outstanding from my previous modules to resolve, and I'm loath to leave stories unfinished, even if it means a massive crunch to get this thing out before, or at least shortly after, NWN2 hits. I'm looking forward to having a free rein with community content, as well as being able to take the module in whatever direction I please. The important thing is that I have fun doing it. :)

Stay tuned for more Wednesday articles on the creative people who worked with BioWare to craft exceptional modules.

Related Links

• DLA's website
• Musician David John's website
• Getting started with module building with the Builder's Project
• Great read for those interested in making custom content

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