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Thread: DM Tools For The PC
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09-24-1997, 05:25 PM #1
DM Tools For The PC
At 08:24 PM 9/23/97 -0500, Craig Greeson(cgreeson@ccipost.net)wrote:
>
>I have read there are going to be Dungeon Master's tools for the PC included
>in the deluxe edition of the Birthright: Gorgon's Alliance computer game set
>to come out late this year. I have been unable to find a description of
what
>types of things this software will be able to do. Does anyone on the list
>know what features are going to be available? This sounds like a fantastic
>concept, I hope it's detailed and flexible enough to do the kinds of things
>I'm envisioning.
>
So far Sierra has said little else about BR Deluxe, but you can be sure we
will here more as its release date draws near.
Sepsis, richt@metrolink.net
"War is a matter of vital importance to the State;
the province of life or death;
the road to survival or ruin.
It is mandatory that it be thoroughly studied."
-Sun Tzu,(The Art of War)-
BR Netbook: http://webpages.metrolink.net/~veleda/birth.html
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09-24-1997, 08:09 PM #2Jim ButlerGuest
DM Tools For The PC
Craig Greeson wrote:
>
> Greetings,
> I have read there are going to be Dungeon Master's tools for the PC included
> in the deluxe edition of the Birthright: Gorgon's Alliance computer game set
> to come out late this year. I have been unable to find a description of what
> types of things this software will be able to do. Does anyone on the list
> know what features are going to be available? This sounds like a fantastic
> concept, I hope it's detailed and flexible enough to do the kinds of things
> I'm envisioning.
Greetings!
I just got off the phone with Bob Clardy (one of those responsible for
bringing the Birthright world to life in Birthright: The Gorgon's Alliance),
and he wanted me to pass along some information to you about what was waiting
in the deluxe edition.
Note that what I'm passing on to you is not "official" as of yet; it might
undergo a few changes between now and the time that they officially release it
at their site.
Good Gaming!
Jim Butler, Electronic Games Coordinator
Wizards of the Coast
TSR's Homepage: http://www.tsrinc.com
Wizards' Homepage: http://www.wizards.com
Greetings Birthrighters!
This is the second Birthright newsletter. If you have not seen the first
newsletter, you can get a copy of it from one of the Birthright Fan Sites.
These can be found at:
http://www2.fwi.com/~jonas
http://www.mindspring.com/~dpwilliams/
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Castle/2346/birthright.html
Web reviews of Birthright can be found at:
http://www.avault.com/
http://www.gamers.jadedspub.com/birthright_index.html
http://www.gamepen.com/pc/birthright/review.html
For an audio interview with the game designer, go to:
http://www.allgames.com. It is on the front page. You need the RealAudio
player to hear it.
In recent Birthright news, the patch described in the first newsletter has
been approved for general release. You can find it at:
ftp://ftp.sierra.com/pub/patches/pc/
When you visit that site, select:
brdospt.exe to download the DOS patch or
brwin95pt.exe to download the Win95 version of the patch
In either case, place the file in your Birthright game directory and execute
it. It will unpack the files that have changed and replace them. Lots of game
improvements are described in the readme file that comes with the patch. So
if you have not already gotten it, try to do so now.
So, what's coming next? Lots of cool goodies. We have been working on the
components for Birthright Deluxe since shortly after Birthright shipped.
Below is a complete list of all the features, tools, game changes and wish
list enhancements that are intended to be a part of Birthright Deluxe. The
full package will not be available to the general public until sometime in
early 1998. In the meantime, though, we plan to make most or all of it
available to you as soon as each part is completed.
So, when will stuff be ready? Well, it has already started. We just released
9 game scenarios (built using the not quite ready for prime-time Scenario
Editor) that allow you to play Birthright starting with the realms of Avanil,
Boeruine, Five Peaks, Ghoere, Mhoried, Mur Kilad, Thurazor, and the City of
Anuire. These scenarios are all available from the fan sites listed above.
Try them out!
The Scenario Editor itself will be released in conjunction with a second game
patch. This patch is needed to make the game work properly if you do something
really nasty (like playing as The Gorgon or Rhuobhe, for instance). The game
needs to disable all those special little events that occur for those
characters that should not occur if you are playing them. That patch is
expected to be ready early October and the Scenario Editor will be released
then as well.
The Character Editor has been modified and improved. It too requires a game
change to work in all cases. That change will also be available in the next
patch, so the improved Character Editor will be released then as well.
Finally, the patch also enables the game to use user generated adventures in
the game. The Adventure Editors will be released this week, but you will not
be able to use your new levels in your own games until the early October patch
enables it. The Adventure Editors will appear first on the fan sites, so
watch for them there. We'll have all this stuff on the Sierra Birthright site
under Goodies as soon as we have enough of it checked out and approved.
Those are the items that we have firm dates for. A complete list of all the
features and changes that are intended to be a part of Birthright Deluxe
appears below. I have included the full wish list. These are items that we
may not be able to do in all cases, but we would like to. If you want a
change to the game and it is on that list, you need not ask. We will do it if
at all possible. But, if you do not find the change or improvement that you
were hoping for in this list, be sure to post to the message board or send
email to Birthright@sierra.com. We'll do all we can to support and improve
the game.
Thanks to the many people that have already made so many invaluable
suggestions and requests. The game certainly would not be as good as it is
without all your kind help. We hope you like what we've been doing with it
lately and where we hope to take it in the months to come.
Goblin Bob
(aka Bob Clardy - Birthright Design and Lead)
================================================== ======================
Birthright Deluxe
The Birthright Expansion Set
Major New Features:
1. Support most recent DirectX version - Change video, etc. to fully support
MS Direct X version 5.
2. Scenario Editor - Allows users to change the starting game setup; how many
realms there
are, their provinces, holdings, leaders, troops, and starting resources.
Allows users to create
completely new game scenarios. Allow alternate plots (turn off Gorgon's
Alliance) and alternate
victory conditions.
3. New Game Scenarios - Several new game setups, including historical
settings from the
Birthright manuals and novels, as well as a number of completely different
setups for competition
and novelty.
4. Character Editor - allows users to build or modify their own character and
insert him/her into the
game. Allows user to select art, name, all stats, spells, and inventory items.
5. Adventure Editor - allows the user to create new adventures for Birthright
or edit existing
ones to change the architecture as well as the foes, treasures, and items.
6. 'Hot Seat' Multiplayer - users and DMs can choose on-the-fly which realms
are Player, DM, and
computer controlled. Several players may use the same computer to enter their
turns in
sequence.
7. Dungeon Master's Options - as part of the 'Hot Seat' mode, a DM may select
realms to be
run as 'DM moderated' realms. These take their turn in mass at the start of
each action.
Additionally, the Scenario Editor may be used to alter the current running
game at the start of
each admin. phase. Finally, player, DM, and NPC actions will be logged to a
text file during
game play. A report tool will be provided to sift through the data and
prepare printed reports as
required during the play of the game.
8. Save Game During Adventure - saves the player's position and status in an
adventure as well as
the current status at the realm level.
9. Alternate Victory Conditions - mainly for multiplayer, options include:
game terminated when
won, 'winner' status requires player to maintain 300+ points., winner is
first player to get
Gorgon's Banner, winner is player who owns a certain province, etc.
10. Turn-Based Battles - llow battles to be played in turns as well as real time.
11. Experience At Battle Level - implement the following chart of combat
experience points.
The first number is points awarded to fighters, the next to priests, the third
is for thieves,
and the last number is for wizards
Engage in Battle = 500, 500, 300, 500
Go onto the battlefield = 1000, 500, 300, 500
Cast magic or use magic item = 50, 200, 50, 200
Command a win in battle = 1000, 500, 500, 500
Bonus if command a win against larger army = 1000, 500, 500, 500
12. Allow NPC inheritance - If Regent dies promote the next lieutenant.
13. NPCs Hire Lieutenants - Start Lt. in seperate stack in adj. prov.
14. Improved Thief Abilities - Implement Burgle to get gold and artifacts at
realm level and
pick lock at Adventure level.
15. Improved Spy Action - Spy reveals % of all armies in opponent realm. Has
chance of
revealing opponent's relics. Thief has improved chance.
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09-25-1997, 04:52 AM #3Craig GreesonGuest
DM Tools For The PC
Jim Butler wrote:
(Huge snips)
> Greetings!
>
> I just got off the phone with Bob Clardy (one of those responsible for
> bringing the Birthright world to life in Birthright: The Gorgon's Alliance),
> and he wanted me to pass along some information to you about what was waiting
> in the deluxe edition.
> Major New Features:
> 2. Scenario Editor
> 3. New Game Scenarios -
> 4. Character Editor -
> 6. 'Hot Seat' Multiplayer -
> 7. Dungeon Master's Options -
> 10. Turn-Based Battles
Mr. Butler,
WOOOWWW! This sounds like a fantastic tool for DMs as well as computer gamers.
I can't wait to get my hands on it (although I guess I'll have to wait until early
'98 from the sound of things). Mr. Clardy seems to really want this product to fly.
I hope that as many lovers of Cerilia as possible buy this product so Sierra will
move forward and expand beyond Anuire into the other regions of the continent.
Thanks very much for the info.
Are there any specific tools DMs would like to see included that aren't
mentioned? From what I've seen on the Sierra site, it seems like they are very
responsive to customer suggestions. Maybe it's not too late to get some additional
things added to help run a campaign.
Regards,
Craig
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