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git-svn-id: http://openexile.googlecode.com/svn/trunk@143 4ebdad44-0ea0-11de-aab3-ff745001d230
42 lines
5.8 KiB
HTML
42 lines
5.8 KiB
HTML
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<title>Testing and Distributing - BoE Scenario Editor Guide</title>
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<p class="p1"><b>Section 13: Testing and Distributing Your Scenario</b></p>
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<p class="p2"><br></p>
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<p class="p3"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>So youve spent many hours learning to write your scenario, and even more of them writing one. Its almost done, and you want to share it with the world. First, however, you need to test it.</p>
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<p class="p2"><br></p>
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<p class="p3"><b>Getting More Information -</b> Spiderweb Software will be keeping a scenario editor information clearing house on our web site at www.spidweb.com, in the Blades of Exile section. If at all possible, go there often. You'll find hints, FAQs, articles with tipe, and bug reports (so you'll learn what features don't work right), as well as the very latest version of the scenario editor.</p>
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<p class="p3"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Your feedback is welcome! If you have a neat article on how to do something cool, have found a nasty bug or have a question that should be answered on our page, send it to blades@spidweb.com.</p>
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<p class="p3"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>However, please don't send general questions to us and expect an answer. While we can help with bugs, we don't have the time to personally teach you how to use the editor. You'll have to rely on our web page, this documentation, and the help of people on the net.</p>
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<p class="p2"><br></p>
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<p class="p3"><b>Scenario Contests! -</b> Spiderweb Software will be holding scenario design contests, with big cash prizes! For information, look in the Blades of Exile folder for the Scenario Design Contest file, or visit us at www.spidweb.com.</p>
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<p class="p2"><br></p>
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<p class="p3"><b>Playtesting -</b> There are few tasks less welcome, and more important. Without testing, you are almost destined to release a scenario with serious bugs, which may not even be finishable at all.</p>
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<p class="p3"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>The best way around this is to play it. And give it to friends and let them play it. With time and careful play, the problems will become clear, and you can fix them.</p>
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<p class="p3"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>One debugging aid has been provided for you. When playing your scenario, if you type the D key and enter the scenarios password, you will enter debug mode. The monsters will no longer move and any blow will kill them, so that you can fight through combats quickly. Press D again to exit debug mode. Note, however, that you can only test your scenario in the registered version of Blades of Exile.</p>
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<p class="p3"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>You can edit a scenario while playing through it. It is often convenient to keep the editor open while playing through a new town, so you can make fixes immediately. However, when you save the scenario, it may scramble the data in your game. Whenever you save the scenario, upon returning to the game you should immediately load a new save file to keep the game from falling apart.</p>
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<p class="p3"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Even more importantly, Blades of Exile remembers the state of special encounters in towns you have visited. If you enter a town in the game and then place or change a special encounter in that town in the editor, the change will not be recognized in the game until the town is reset. To reset a town or dungeon level in the game, go to a different town or outdoors, and press the > key. This will reset the towns, and your changes will be visible.</p>
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<p class="p2"><br></p>
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<p class="p3"><b>Distributing - </b>Once you are sure your scenario works, you can place it onto the Internet and let people all over the world play it. To distribute a scenario, place it and its custom graphics files (if any) into a folder, and go to www.spidweb.com. There is a scenario uploading area there. Alternately, you can mail the scenario on disk to Spiderweb Software, Inc. (the address is in the order form).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
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<p class="p3"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Before sending your scenario out, you may want to take a look at the scenario legal stuff, elsewhere in this documentation. A few guidelines when writing your scenario:</p>
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<p class="p2"><br></p>
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<p class="p3">i. Overt racism and other sorts of prejudice, as well as obscenity and explicit sexuality, are bad ideas. Such scenarios will probably not be kept on software sites, such as Spiderweb Softwares.</p>
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<p class="p3"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Use common sense here. If a character says that the Nephilim are evil and should be wiped out, that's all right. That is just that character's viewpoint, not an editorialization on the part of the game. On the other hand, a scenario where the party was expected to keep and capture slaves would be very questionable.</p>
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<p class="p3">ii. Play balance is important. Dont give low level scenarios too much gold, too much treasure, or too much magic.</p>
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<p class="p3">iii. Dont make things too difficult. Keep the monsters not too tough, and make sure the puzzles are solvable and give at least a few hints. Its always better to be a little too easy than a lot too hard.</p>
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<p class="p2"><br></p>
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<p class="p3"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>And with that, good luck! Tell everyone a story, and share the results of your imagination! After all, there is very little that is more satisfying than creating something truly great, and having it get the appreciation it deserves!</p>
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