[WIP]Dark Brotherhood: Continued : IV

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 12:22 pm

Dark Brotherhood: Continued
Answering Prayers
Latest Update: September 13th
Latest Version: Beta 0.7

This mod allows you to continue taking contracts for the Dark Brotherhood after you have completed the dark brotherhood questline.
Arquen now actually trusts you with more important jobs then running from Bravil to Cheydinhal!

Contract Types in currently released version:
1. Assasination Contract

Assasinate your target in any way you wish.

2. Poison Contract

Kill your target using a bottle of poisoned mead.

3. Imperial Contract

Remind the imperial Legion to back off.

4. Expedition Contract

Get out in the wild, and hunt down targets inside caves, forts and mines.

5. Hunt Contract

Hunt down and assasinate targets travelling from one place to the next.

6. Sanctuary Contract

Convince the count of Cheydinhal to keep his mouth shut.

7. Black Horse Contract

Prevent an ex-client from giving an interview to the Black Horse Courier.

Features in currently released version:
- Threatening

Threaten your target - will they call the guards, or will they fight you?

- Custom books

Great collectors books, for those who keep a library.

- more then a hundred different possible names for the targets

50 male names, 50 female names, and a lot of location-based names.

- more then a hundred different possible locations for the targets

Targets can spawn in any city, in any tavern, and in tons of caves, forts, mines, chapels, guard houses, dungeons and castles.

- new types of ingredients designed for poison-brewers.

Adds 3 types of mushrooms, as well as 3 types of mushroom seeds (not plantable), with poison characteristics.

- new types of deadly items for more "puppeteer"-type players.

Such as Poisoned Wine, Poisoned Pie and Sleeping Poison.

Why choose DB:Continued?
DB:Continued is a completely random, yet infinite quest mod. You won't have completed this mod simply by playing through a questline - every challenge will be different. Although targets hardly have a background story, I am doing everything I can to add as many details as possible. They have a random personality, giving them unique fighting strategies; some will run right away, some will fight until their death, and some will fight you until they're heavily wounded, and then try to escape.

Voiceacting is not yet implemented, but I have a strong faith in the Oblivion Voiceacting community, and once the dialog is all complete, I will ask them to do the voices.

Try it yourself!
Please, give the mod a try and tell me what you think. Also tell me if you have any mod conflicts or if the script goes wrong and does not allow you to complete or even start a contract. How do you play this mod?
First, download it http://schoolkrant.h-r-college.nl/pluk%27s%20spul/DBContinuedBeta%200.7.rar (<download link, in case you're hasty).
Second, go to your oblivion launcher (or mod tool) and activate the mod.
Third, go ingame (complete the DB questline if you haven't already) and speak to Arquen in the sanctuary.

And then report back here

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 2:51 am

This is fantastic! :wub: (Too bad I'm playing MW now, and not Oblivion.) But, still, this is a wonderful mod idea, I am so happy to see something like this (especially since Jannix Quinn has removed the excellent Assassin Quest mod)!

Could you post some more info? Like, how does a player receive the contracts? What happens after you complete them? Will there be any with 'perk' rewards (like in the original DB faction quests) for completing the contract in a certain manner? How long does the player need to wait before a new contract is available? Will there be rumors associated with any of the quests ("I hear Old Baenlen is dead!")? Maybe Black Hourse Courier fliers? Will some of the targets spawn before their contracts are available? Do the targets have AI schedules? Is their equipment leveled or static?

Great stuff, pluke, I'll definitely keep an eye out for this. :tops:

EDIT: Might I suggest uploading to TESNexus, too? You can disable rating, especially since this is still a Beta. But, it'll generate a new thread for comments, and it'll get a lot of exposure (and, hopefully, more Beta testers to give feedback and report any conflicts).

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 12:18 pm

I just added this to my http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=872035&st=0#entry12718371. This is such an amazing mod, man, thank you so much for making it :-D

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 2:43 am

How does a player receive the contracts?

The player speaks to Arquen after completed the DB questline, and asks for a contract just like you used to ask for a contract from other DB members (who are now all dead).

What happens after you complete them?

Your contract is removed, and you return to Arquen to get your reward. I'm still trying to balance the rewards without making them static.

Will there be any with 'perk' rewards (like in the original DB faction quests) for completing the contract in a certain manner?

No. This is because at the moment quests can only be completed in one way - the right way. The poison contract however, does allow you to fail if you kill the target in any other way then poisoning.

How long does the player need to wait before a new contract is available?

At the moment the contract is ready immediately. But I'm thinking of making this 24 hours instead. Depends on what the people want.

Will there be rumors associated with any of the quests ("I hear Old Baenlen is dead!")? Maybe Black Hourse Courier fliers?

No, this is because all targets are generated at random. If you would have to make a rumor about, say "I hear has been assasinated", then that would be at least a hundred different rumors for that rumor alone. I'd rather focus on other parts of the mod first, especially because I don't really like voice-acted rumors. It sounds like beggars turning from their beggar voice to normal voice.

Will some of the targets spawn before their contracts are available?

No, they will spawn when you take the contract, and their bodies will be removed when you claim your reward.

Do the targets have AI schedules? Is their equipment leveled or static?

They do have schedules, but I'm still working on them. They're pretty dumb at the moment.

EDIT: Might I suggest uploading to TESNexus, too? You can disable rating, especially since this is still a Beta. But, it'll generate a new thread for comments, and it'll get a lot of exposure (and, hopefully, more Beta testers to give feedback and report any conflicts).

I'd rather not. I have always felt that this board is the heart of Oblivion modding, TESNexus will just be to spread a "real" release.

I just added this to my http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=872035&st=0#entry12718371. This is such an amazing mod, man, thank you so much for making it :-D

Cheers dude

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 11:04 am

Sounds really interesting; sounds like endless quests idea in games like Elite....ah those were great games...Ill give it a go when I get to my gaming PC

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 3:59 pm

Your contract is removed, and you return to Arquen to get your reward. I'm still trying to balance the rewards without making them static.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but can't you just add a leveled list to the player's inventory? That way, it would allow any loot from overhaul mods to seep in, and would be scaled to the player's level.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 4:29 am

The link to download is messed up for me, here's part of what text shows up

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This mod will allow you to continue taking assasination contract - for ever!�MAST
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Yeah...

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 5:11 am

The link to download is messed up for me, here's part of what text shows up
Yeah...

Uhm.. I don't think that's something I did. Must be a IP boards issue.

edit: Ah, I see I uploaded the .esp instead of the .rar I intented to upload.
It's a .rar now, I think everyone knows how to use those.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 5:04 am

Alright, version 0.4 is done.
All contracts should now work properly, more advanced contracts now have a timer on them so you won't do them twice after eachother (Poison: 5 contract timer, Imperial: 10 contract timer, Sanctuary: 20 contract timer).

I'm really excited about this version. I can already feel that things are coming together the way they should, because I already need to play for at least an hour to test if everything works.

Rewards are still variable, I really don't know if they're too high or too low. My character is an alchemist, and they always have been, so money has rather lost its value for me.
Also, I feel as if taking a lot of contracts should also reward the player, so it doesnt become too repetitive and useless. I'm thinking of giving special rewards for the Imperial and Sanctuary contracts, so that you can look forward to those. And by special rewards I mean things like Poisoned Apples, Infamy and powerful poisons for even better assasinations.

Please give me feedback! I really need it to know where the flaws are, and what you think I should leave as it is.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 4:07 pm

Keep on turning them out :-D

Just an idea on the reward front, maybe make the rewards slightly different than just gold (which I think is sorta what you're getting at). Like, I know a lot of people wish you could buy poison apples at this point in the game (I can because I use amazing mods :-P

), so why not make a random chance of being given an apple instead, or a really strong poison, or something slightly more worthwhile (or even give the player a choice). Don't feel inclined to do this just because I mentioned it, I'm just sharing thoughts, but I think that would be cool. Anyways, great job, and will play the new version ;-)

CC

I assume you Download Version 0.4 from the same link at the top of this thread?

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:38 am

so why not make a random chance of being given an apple instead, or a really strong poison, or something slightly more worthwhile (or even give the player a choice).

Hmm.. giving them a choice actually seems quite fair. Choose between money, special items, or powerfull poisons. Thanks, I'll give that a try and see if I like it after some playtesting!

I assume you Download Version 0.4 from the same link at the top of this thread?

Yes, I will keep updating the first thread so people don't have to look all through the thread for links.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 11:17 am

It would be cool if you ahve to infiltrate a gang or something to kill teh person off, and rise in the ranks or something like that (the person is really well guarded), or get jailed to make the kill. idk though.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 11:03 am

It would be cool if you ahve to infiltrate a gang or something to kill teh person off, and rise in the ranks or something like that (the person is really well guarded), or get jailed to make the kill. idk though.

Thank you for your suggestion

But you see, this mod aims at completely random NPCs.
Adding a few different type of factions in which you could gain ranks is possible, but it would take an enormous amount of effort.
I think that for now, I'll just try to come up with thought-through contracts, rather then "the bigger the better" contracts.
Well, as far as thought-through is possible in this type of mod, anyway.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 3:13 am

Currently I'm working on a new system which will hopefully add some depth to the characters.
This system will give the NPCs a random background including where they are born, what their favorit food is, who their hero is, how their love/family life is, what their religion/philosophy is and what their job is.

This will also influence the other topics they talk about. Someone who's a fisherman for instance, will also have things to say about fishing. A blacksmith will tell you something about the blacksmiths in the game. A scout might reveal a location on the map to you. A monk might reveal a wayshrine location to you. Etc Etc.

Contracts now also have a timer, which means that some contracts require you to do a number of other contracts first. This goes especially for convincing the count of Cheydinhal, and warning the Imperial Legion. It just wasn't right that you could do these contracts twice in a row, it spoiled immersion.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:07 am

It would be nice if you made some quest for low level DB members that haven't finished the quest line. Its not like its hard to finish the quest line to get to do these quest but since I have a fear of not having anything for my DB type characters it would be nice if there were one quest just for low level faction members.

I like how simple this is can't wait for you to finish, great job.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 4:23 am

It would be nice if you made some quest for low level DB members that haven't finished the quest line. Its not like its hard to finish the quest line to get to do these quest but since I have a fear of not having anything for my DB type characters it would be nice if there were one quest just for low level faction members.

I like how simple this is can't wait for you to finish, great job.

Hehe, well actually the point of this mod is that it allows you to keep taking contracts.
I'm honored that you think my contracts are better then the Oblivion ones, but I think most people don't need my contracts until the awesome contracts of Oblivion DB have been fulfilled

Note: I just realised I made a huge mistake! In the sanctuary contract, you can threaten Cheydinhal's count with murdering his wife. But his wife is already dead! So in the next version which should be up within 24 hours, this is changed to blackmailing him about him murdering his own wife.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 12:20 pm

Dark Brotherhood: Continued
Answering Prayers
Latest Update: August 29th
Latest Version: Beta 0.4

This mod allows you to continue taking contracts for the Dark Brotherhood after you have completed the dark brotherhood questline.
Arquen now actually trusts you with more important jobs then running from Bravil to Cheydinhal!

Contract Types in currently released version:
1. Assasination Contract

Assasinate your target in any way you wish.

2. Poison Contract

Kill your target using a bottle of poisoned mead.

3. Imperial Contract

Remind the imperial Legion to back off.

4. Expedition Contract

Get out in the wild, and hunt down targets inside caves, forts and mines.

5. Hunt Contract

Hunt down and assasinate targets travelling from one place to the next.

6. Sanctuary Contract

Convince the count of Cheydinhal to keep his mouth shut.

Features in currently released version:
- Threatening

Threaten your target - will he call the guards, or will he fight you?

- Custom books

Great collectors books, for those who keep a library.

- more then a hundred different possible names for the targets

50 male names, 50 female names, and a lot of location-based names.

- more then a hundred different possible locations for the targets

Targets can spawn in any city, in any tavern, and in tons of caves, forts, mines, chapels, guard houses, dungeons and castles.

Why choose DB:Continued?
DB:Continued is a completely random, yet infinite quest mod. You won't have completed this mod simply by playing through a questline - every challenge will be different. Although targets hardly have a background story, I am doing everything I can to add as many details as possible. They have a random personality, and in the final version they will also have a random list of topics they wish to talk about, from stories about their families at home, to business deals went wrong and friends lost in battle. Some might even tell you why they have a bounty on their heads, if they don't suspect you of being an assasin.

Voiceacting is not yet implemented, but I have a strong faith in the Oblivion Voiceacting community, and once the dialog is all complete, I will ask them to do the voices.

Why NOT choose DB:Continued?
This is not the mod for you if you are looking for any of the following:
- New Armor
- New Weapons
- New Hairstyles
- Companions
- Player Housing
- A Poisoned Apple Merchant
- A strong questline (Try Dark Brotherhood: Chronicles instead, it's a mod that actually continues the dark brotherhood faction in a very professional way).
Try it yourself!
Please, give the mod a try and tell me what you think. Also tell me if you have any mod conflicts or if the script goes wrong and does not allow you to complete or even start a contract. How do you play this mod?
First, download it http://schoolkrant.h-r-college.nl/pluk%27s%20spul/DBContinuedBeta%200.4.rar.
Second, go to your oblivion launcher (or mod tool) and activate the mod.
Third, go ingame (complete the DB questline if you haven't already) and speak to Arquen in the sanctuary.

And then report back here

Where do I download? link?

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 10:38 am

Would you mind editting that post and remove the entire quote? All you wanted to ask is where to download it, so no point in adding a huge post to it.

If you read the text, you can see a download link in the "Try it yourself" tab. Please read before you post, thank you

Version 0.6 is almost complete (0.5 had loose ends, so I didnt post it here).
Version 0.6 will feature a 7th contract type, as well as rewards for special contracts, such as poisons, 2 new types of alchemy ingredients (mushrooms designed for creating poisons), and infamy gains.
I only have to add a way for you to stop your current contract, in case the contract is impossible due to mod conflicts.

The final version will then just be bug fixes, and voiceacting.

I am also planning on collaborating with the distinguished Dark Brotherhood Chronicles mod, as an add-on. This mod will be a seperate file, for reasons I can not release.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 2:54 am

cool cant wait the db is my fav part of the game.
maybe you could add a couple different type of armor to go with it?

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 1:07 am

I might release different versions with different rewards, such as more (or less) gold, more (of less) infamy, and I suppose I could also add armors if I get around to it.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:57 am

when do you expect a release date?

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 5:01 am

within 7 days for the non-voice acted version. I couldn't tell you how long voiceacting would take, as I have to find people to do it, and I can't find those before the dialogue is done.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:40 am

Wow, I leave this alone for like two days, and it gets even bigger. I am totally in awe :-D

Good luck on cranking out that final (without voice) release :-)

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 1:30 am

Version 0.6 is out (check first post, or download it http://schoolkrant.h-r-college.nl/pluk%27s%20spul/DBContinuedBeta%200.6.rar).
Please try to find bugs, or just enjoy it until a bug appears to you

known bugs that still need to be figured out:
NPCs do not eat or sleep - I have given them the correct scriptpackages but they just refuse to follow my orders so far

Pilgrim does not actually travel - it worked in earlier version, and it will work again the next version. Just a loose end on my part.

» Wed Mar 30, 2011 12:52 am

Great idea, love it!

I dl'd 0.4 and the quest wouldn't start and no dialog from arquen. I edited the quest script to get it to start and addtopic, worked fine after that.