Talk:Aurora toolset

Gamespy complaint

Gamespy's complaint was not that the modules were difficult to make. The true source of bitterness and disappointment comes from the claim that you can play Neverwinter Nights as a Dungeon Master. The claim was completely unsubstantiated. Instead of revolutionizing roleplaying as we know it, they simply redefined the server admin as the "DM." There is very little flexibility in what can be created dynamically (which is what Dungeon Mastering is really all about, as every good campaign makes vast allowance for player ingenuity), like fixed objects (like buildings, caves, new terrain, rooms) or (if I remember correctly) new scripts. The server must be restarted, and any new textures and models can't be downloaded in-game, and new models and textures are themselves an arduous task. If a "DM" wants to create an incredibly original world with a campaign that is an unforgettable experience, he must, in addition to dialogue and stats (the only things he would concern himself with a much easier paper and pencil campaign), create skins, textures, invent a way through programming finesse to make new spells, and playtest and debug these things; and then the players would have to be willing and able to download and properly install the whole shebang. The DM cannot also rely on the players' imagination as they could in a "normal" (I might contemptuously say "actual") game. All minutiae must be placed by the "DM" in advance, and information that might prove unnecessary in a normal game, like the exact layout of a city, couldn't be created on the spot when needed, or left ambiguously defined. The "DM" would have to place enough of the small details so that terrain does not become a horribly monotonous bore, while keeping the amount of memory needed and work done (he does, after all, want to be able to actually play the game within this century) down to a reasonable amount. Now the 3D environment poses a problem. A game like Planescape: Torment would be overwhelming to make in Aurora. The different landscapes and objects, so unique and so artistic would be insanely difficult to retain their look and complexity if rendered on the fly. The modmaker would be pulling his hair out trying to get his module to even APPROACH Torment's beauty in three dimensions. The textures that came with NWN and its expansions would be useless; they're enough of an eyesore in the bland environments they were made for. A DM would practically have to MAKE THE GAME with the Aurora toolset handling only the most rudimentary and unimaginative aspects of the campaign setting. --24.118.77.253 19:42, 14 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Unless someone invents a device that can translate your imagination to scripts and textures, no computer game will ever allow what you're asking for. This is the world of computerized RPGs, and its players know, understand and accept the limitations. And you too can either accept them or not. But they're here to stay until someone creates that device.

That said, I'll agree with you on one point: the article incorrectly states that GameSpy's frustration lay with the difficulty of learning the scripting language; it is clear that's not their issue. Their problem is your problem, and as extremely unrealistic a vision it is, it should be reflected in the article. 72.200.136.66 02:36, 13 May 2006 (UTC)

Overhaul required

I believe this document needs some serious overhauling. Several glaring inaccuracies exist within it as well as a lot of POV being contained which does not provide the reader with the information they require about the toolset itself and what it is capable of. Very little time is spent in detailing the components of the module and a lot of time is spent providing opinions about its use and flexibility (which depending on your ability to write code varies greatly).

I am trying to write an updated version for the up-coming Electron toolset which will be featured in the sequal, some of this could be retrofitted if someone wants to get stuck into it. Enigmatical 23:50, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

Screenshot

Could someone take and upload a screenshot please? I would like to use it as an example of an RPG construction set.

Please reply on my Talk page. Thanks. SharkD  Talk  00:51, 7 September 2010 (UTC)