16 July, 2011: New updates available

We are still slogging through the editing of our previous installments. Three of these were available in January, but a few problems were discovered since then and have been attended. Working on so many things at the same time we had lost track whether or not Gnaar Mok had been changed. If it had been, the changes were minor. However it would be wise to download the currently available archive anyway. Here are the seven updated installments available from our http://www.lgnpc.org/downloads:

Aldruhn, version 1.21 supplement
Gnaar Mok, version 1.20
Khuul, version 2.21
Pelagiad, version 1.31
Tel Mora, version 1.30
Vivec Foreign Quarter, version 2.20
Vivec Redoran, version 1.60

These changes are not merely spelling and grammar fixes. A number of quest bugs have been resolved.

The release of Ald'ruhn supplement was going to be delayed until of Ald'ruhn had been proofread, however it is clear that will not happen for some time. For now the version 1.21 supplement can load alongside the version 1.20 main file. When the main file is edited we will likely update the supplement as well so the two mods will have the same version number. I hope this explanation will clear up any confusion (as should the readme).

Next to be edited will be either Tel Uvirith or Indarys Manor (there is a new quest variation we have been meaning to release). This work will be performed concurrently with a complete rewrite of Seyda Neen. It is still uncertain if we will edit the existing version of Ald Velothi or renew our work on the rewrite of that town. The original is so small (a little over one hundred entries compared to over six hundred for the incomplete revision) that it should not cost us too much time.

We can offer no timeline for our progress so there is no point in asking when such-and-such will happen. The purpose of this posting is to advise the community of the updates to our mods currently available and to assure it that we are still an active project.

I'm glad you guys are still working on this Even if it takes time, the fact that there is progress is great to know

I'm glad as well...fixing quest bugs is always good.
I remember I started the quest "A New Tribe of Ashlanders" and I couldn't go to the daedric ruin nearby. Always crashes when I approached -which kept that quest unfinished (though I don't know if it's a mod conflict, which is likely).

Thanks, much appreciated. I remember BTB talking about how unbalanced the rewards sometimes were. Has there been anything done in that area?

Has anyone else talked about it?

^
Well, he sent a list with suggested changes to someone, not sure what then happened.

Updating! :dance: Thanks! :foodndrink:

I am not sure about BTB's balance stuff. He thinks the game should ass kick people and I think it should be fun, which has nothing to do with ass kicking. So definitions of balanced I think vary in this case. That said, I havent actually seen what he has suggested so mabe I am wrong in this case.

Anyway, its nice to see this is still being worked on.

The quality of your mods always amazes me.

I'm really curious about the Seyda Neen update. Could you tell us more, Cyrano?

I believe BTB's changes revolve around how the rewards are overly generous for what you do. As I haven't actually done the quest, I'm not sure what it might be, but it sounded reasonable...

Regarding the issue of 'balance'.

While we claim not to offer unbalanced rewards, there have been many instances (in my opinion) that we have. Since BTB has gone to some pains to soften those cases I know I am not the only one who feels that way. It is still a matter of opinion (and respect for the work of my predecessors) that makes this a difficult issue to address. One need only examine the quests I have personally created to see that I represent one extreme of the spectrum - I offer little more than a good feeling to the player at the quest's conclusion. That is one of the reasons I do not trust my instincts entirely when it comes to deciding what constitutes an appropriate reward. For me it is more about what seems logical rather than what is 'balanced'. A pauper is not going to have a priceless heirloom to offer the player regardless of how dangerous the service the player rendered him. Some quests are going to be pro bono, or simply not undertaken by the player.

However to attend the concerns that have been expressed by some posters. Many of the very unbalanced rewards that BTB's patches address have not been available to the player for at least one update. They still exist in the game in case the update is added to an existing save in which the player had already received the item. In future updates such items may be safely removed without triggering a crash to desktop or requiring a cleaning of the saved game. Such items have been adjusted to be consistent with BTB's patched versions - not because we agree entirely, but because of the unavailability of the items it becomes a battle not worth fighting. Those items that remain in the world have been adjusted - the extent to which depends on the circumstances. We are reluctant to re-value new items to be consistent with BTB's balancing project since we cannot be assured that the player is using his (or other modders') economy balancing mod. Where appropriate the most satisfactory solution is to use official items for rewards since they will already be 'balanced' with the rest of the economy regardless of the player's mod list.

It is still very much a matter of opinion, so I do not expect our treatment of rewards will ever satisfy every player.

@Knef: Many of the NPCs in LGNPC Seyda Need were not addressed at all. In most cases these were NPCs associated with official quests. I suspect Joe Stevens was being cautious not to break those quests - that is to be commended. However we will work on those NPCs and test our work to be certain we to not do any harm. The stories of the other NPCs will change a little. Eldafire will not be a spinster since she is the logical mother of a Children of Morrowind child. Instead she will have been abandoned by the child's father. The blooming romance between Indrele Rathryon and Tandram Andalen will process much less like that between a couple adolescents, and Darvame Hleran will be acknowledged as a female by the rest of the town.

Glad to see these updates, cyrano.
Keep it up this way!

Always happy to see that the lgnpc team is still alive. Keep up the awesome work. :goodjob:

What Cyrano0 said, pretty much. Obviously, he isn't going to follow everything I say to a "T". But we seem to mostly agree on the important issues, and that's well fine enough with me. I'm simply glad to have helped in what little way I could. And I certainly understand the extremely difficult position that Cyran0 is in, as well.

The timing of this is great, as well, as I intend to update my mod list very soon. I've yet to go over the new versions and see what all has been done, but unless something is still left just sticking out like a sore thumb, I'll likely trash my personal versions and just move on to the official ones.

Glad to see you're still rolling on with the project, Cyran0. I have to confess I'd thought it might be dying since releases were relatively thin on the ground. I look forwards to a new Seyda Neen esp. Please do let me know if I can help you out doing any writing again. I think I'm just about recovered from the zillion topics used by those two Ebonheart Savants.

The LGNPC Team's mods are the third mods I install on new Morrowind installations behind Children of Morrowind and Better Bodies. They are required, if you will : )

Your collective works inspired so much, it was included in my fan-fic novel because I have had it so long, I was unable to tell what was there originally, and what was LGNPC. Following your directions, of adding it and forgetting it, the stories, quests, and enjoyment were wholly seamless.

Fantastic that it still continues.

I have never been bothered by the issues of "balancing" in my game because for my playing style, which is 100% immersive, I care not one whit about values, scores, hours in, skill numerics, and any of the extraneous facets other gamers find they need. When I am in that game, all I need are the items I find, earn, or take from the dead and dispatched. The relationships and friends made along the way, and the adventures or responsibilities that the game designers, and yourselves, have given us.

Is there a list of all changes done in the update avaible?

Thank you for the news, it is always exciting to get an LGNPC update.