Will the former xvart village do?, ...and other areas Options

[Baronius]

The characters and quests will take place in several big areas, in areas where there are not too many encounters but large part to explore.

You may remember the xvart village, it's in the area northeast of Gnoll Stronghold (AR4700). You can meet Borda, the drow swindler here (tries to sell you magical things but they're cursed).
As a BG1 fan, I entirely explore every area of the game. I like this part as well. When you enter to the xvart village (north of the area map), a lot of xvarts will attack you and their leader will call Ursa the Bear as well.

Although if you are playing Baldur's Gate more times and you wish to visit all these wilderness areas, slaughtering 200 xvarts might be a bit boring.
Ursa, the xvart leader and a lesser group of xvarts would be moved to another smaller place of the area, and I thought of replacing the xvart village with a camp of people.
This camp would be the center of your quests, so you will get most (but not all) of your missions here and would return here for the reward if any. There would also be a store here.
The southern part in this area is also a long large wide path with some bears. There also could be placed something (somebody...)

Other areas affected by the mod would be these (the list is not complete yet):

• AR4200: Area north-west of Nashkel. Drizzt and gnolls are here for example.
• AR4300: Area north of Nashkel. Many hobgoblins.
• AR4900: Carnival.
• AR5000: Area south of Firewine Bridge, north of Carnival; near Durlag's Tower. Exit of Nashkel Mines is here.
• AR5200: Area south-west of Nashkel, east of Gnoll Stronghold. Here are the two ruffians and the Dryad of Cloudpeaks.
• AR5400: Nashkel Mines (outside).

Will the (former) xvart village do as the 'quest center'?
Suggest areas that you think should be on the list!

[Andyr]

I think it might be better to make a completely new area as the quest centre rather than displacing the Xvarts - some people might object to stuff being changed, and it could affect other mods if other people mess with the area.

You could probably use IETME or similar to make a basic quest centre with a couple of huts quite quickly, or else take an area from another game?

Nice to see more BG1 additions!

[Baronius]

New area is not a bad idea but where would I place it without using the worldmap? If I use the worldmap, that would result in compatibility problems...

[Andyr]

Oh, yeah, hmm. Perhaps one of the wilderness areas has something in it you could have people standing around? I can't recall offhand, but there's a load of empty space, and there must be something somewhere...

Or perhaps you could make it so they only move in when you've got rid of the Xvarts? The first quest could be to clean them out?

[Rabain]

You could be requested by some farmers in Beregost or Nashkel who want to set up a new village and you could go an clear out the Xvarts under the reason that one of the farmers used to live in this area and was originally run out by Ursa and the Xvarts!

Just a thought!

Rabain

[Baronius]

Good ideas!

@Andyr: Maybe some people will also fight when your party is in combat against the xvarts - Grey Clan style
Yeah the empty spaces are planned to be used.

@Rabain: Sounds very good! Party would run into these people somewhere, and go together to drive out the xvarts. (children and women wouldn't fight though unlike in mediavel sieges in Hungary where hungarian women were pouring boiling water and hot tar to the heads of thousands of Turks attacking the small castle with 750 defenders)

[Rabain]

I was just thinking there are several maps that contain small caves that could be co-opted into being the entrances to larger new dungeons such as the one with the few healing potions in it on the map just south of Beregost or the one North East of the mines where you exit the Nashkel mines after dealing with Mulahey (there are several caves on this map i believe.

Or perhaps Shandalar in Ulgoths Beard or the guy in Sorcerous Sundries could send you to new areas magically a la TotSC?

Rabain

[Baronius]

Magically sending to new areas is a good idea, I plan to apply it in several mods.

As for the entrances, it's also an excellent option. It would need adding travel points to those areas, and as we know, it is possible with WeiDU.
Although we always have to be careful not to include any compatibility risks when integrating new options.

Anyway, there are a nice bunch of ideas above already, perhaps the BG1 Quest Pack will be bigger than planned (and would also need more work and time though)

[Rabain]

I'd be interested in making some outdoor areas for this if your interested? I'll post and example later.

I even came up with a reason why the town etc might not appear on the worldmap.

While journeying to the Gnoll Stronghold you are waylaid by a Mountain bear or some gnolls or an Ogre Mage. After the battle you meet a ranger on his way to Nashkell to elicit help for his village which is being attacked from time to time by some foozles. The other rangers of the village are constantly laying false trails in the hills and forests to throw off the foozles from finding the village/town/whatever consequently anytime you need to visit the village you will need to meet the ranger in Nashkell and he will guide you to it!

From the village you can create any number of new areas to go to! This is prviding you are not interested in using the Xvart village though this will still work from here using the Ranger scenario!

new maps are always a good thing!

Rabain

[Baronius]

This would be excellent! We could solve it the same way as it is done in TotSC with the werewolf areas - not in worldmap, neither.

BG1 Quest pack was originally planned to add quests to existing areas only, but this can not be a problem, since the new areas will not cause compatibility problems with other mods fortunately - and this is the most important.

The concept you posted is just excellent. I'm very grateful for area creation help either because I'm not too good in that.

[Galactygon]

Another idea I might have is implementing a sort of a cave system in BG1 that connects/provides shortcuts between existing caves (or maybe even a connection to the fabled underdark) as well as making an interior for the gnoll stronghold.

-Galactygon

This post has been edited by Galactygon: Jul 28 2004, 06:54 PM

[Baronius]

Yeah, as for the cave system, Rabain suggested the same above, it's good but I don't know how it would be done exactly. All these caves would lead to a central one? Not too realistic, as real caves aren't like human-built catacombs...

I like the Gnoll Stronghold's interior idea! We will add it, with new quests of course.

[Echon]

as well as making an interior for the gnoll stronghold.

-Galactygon

Were you the one who also suggested this at the Fields of the Dead forum?

-Echon

[Galactygon]

Either I did not post such an idea (might have been someone else), or it went out of my mind. It's too late to check now, I guess.

-Galactygon

[Baronius]

OK, clearing the xvart village will be a quest too but the 'quest center' where the party gets most quests and returns after the quest has been finished will be a new village. Screenshots coming soon.

[Sir-Kill]

(or maybe even a connection to the fabled underdark) as well as making an interior for the gnoll stronghold.

I like this idea very much. I never understood why the 'doggies' could build a fortress but not shoot a bow, reason, the drow, inside the fort there is a entrance to the underdark. It makes sense to me.

This post has been edited by Sir-Kill: Aug 14 2004, 12:12 AM

[Baronius]

This Underdark proposal sounds very cool - adding Underdark areas, and Drow to BG1(Tutu)!
It is a lot of work though, especially the area graphics and areas.
However, such thing shouldn't be left out from the mod, should it?

[Kabuki]

I don't know if you need more suggestions... but in any case I'll toss out the one idea that came to mind:

There are several areas with people who have been displaced from Nashkel due to the trouble in the mines (the fish wrangler/fish singer come to mind). After clearing the mines, these could always move back home to Nashkel, and those areas could open up for "new settlement"/quests/inhabitants/whatever else is needed.

My 2 yen.

Sort of off topic...

How about class/alignment specific/differentiated quests? Increases replayability to some extent.

[Rabain]

Hiya Kabuki!

I don't know if you need more suggestions

All idea's and suggestions are welcome whenever you think of them!

There are several areas with people who have been displaced from Nashkel due to the trouble in the mines (the fish wrangler/fish singer come to mind).

I honestly can't recall this, where exactly is this person and what do you mean by these "area's could open up for new settlement" because as far as i know there are no areas where all people leave permanently after a quest is done etc
Do you have more info on this or can you expand on your idea?

How about class/alignment specific/differentiated quests? Increases replayability to some extent.

We very much agree here on this! Did you have specific instances in mind?

And lastly if you have idea's or quests you would like to write for the BGQP please feel free to get involved!

[Kabuki]

QUOTE 
There are several areas with people who have been displaced from Nashkel due to the trouble in the mines (the fish wrangler/fish singer come to mind). 

I honestly can't recall this, where exactly is this person and what do you mean by these "area's could open up for new settlement" because as far as i know there are no areas where all people leave permanently after a quest is done etc
Do you have more info on this or can you expand on your idea?

Ok, this is my third time at this... I lost it twice before when popping into the extra emoticons (automatically closed this window).

The area in question si AR4200 the area wher Drizzt and Bjornin's half-Ogres are. The two fishermen are ex-miners from Nashkel, it would be consistent for them to move back home when the mines are cleared, and I'm sure this could be accomplished without too much trouble. That opens up the whole lake, a cabin and the central left area of the map for use as Drizzt/Ogres and the fishermen are gone. AR4400 has Arbella the cow and her owner Hulrik. He could either want to go somewhere safer with his cow, or he could want to bring his family to live with him, now that the pc has cleared out the area of scum and monsters. Either they could show up next time the PC enters the map, or there could be a quest to escort his family there.

As for quests... the first two times I wrote this post I didn't have anything... now I have three quest outlines in a word document. Two for a mage/sorceror and one for a paladin (although it could just be a big quest). As I have no coding skills or modding experience they are just very rough outlines. I can toss them your way and you can tell me if I'm off in space or if they are workable ideas. I'm willing to write them out completely and maybe even do some basic dialogue work... (as I think I can learn to code dialogues). The rest *shrug* I'll let you make up your own opinion.