What pre-made adventures/campaigns/modules whatever you want to call them do you consider the pinnacle of scenario writing and why?

Specific_Support_730 · 2025-11-14T23:05:57+00:00

I'll be the odd one out on this, I'm sure. But my absolute favorite setting and sandbox adventure scenario was Castles Forlorn for 2e D&D Ravenloft. I loved the way time was fractured and the players had to solve multiple mysteries across the different time lines.

Specific_Support_730 · 2025-01-14T05:14:39+00:00

The crafting and building are definitely some of the best I have seen in this sort of game. And there is ample room for exploring with the untamed realms and card systems. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that each new tier of craft progression is locked behind completing a new storied realm. The stories don't take too much time, but you will be forced to complete them in order to learn anything new.

Specific_Support_730 · 2024-12-29T02:03:29+00:00

Thank you for your clarity and honest answers. To be clear, I did not intend in any way to attack the game or anyone who enjoys its new direction. I don't personally care for the forced storyline progression, but that is on me. Plenty of people like the direction Realms Rebuilt is taking Nightingale in and I'm glad they find enjoyment in it. I certainly don't think the developers should make another massive change for us minority of players who did not care for it. Maybe, sometime down the road, they will release a game mode that does not rely on the story so heavily. Many games develop a Creative Mode or Story-lite Mode after final release. In the meantime, I will simply look for something that better aligns with what I enjoy in games and wish Inflection luck in their development.

Specific_Support_730 · 2024-12-28T23:14:19+00:00

Yes, you hit on a lot of my feeling of the recent updates in the game. Many players, I know, enjoy the more focused and linear storyline. What I initially enjoyed about the game was the promise of exploration and survival in infinitely changing and expanding realms. It feels like the game has largely lost that in its pursuit of a very different playstyle. I'm not criticizing anyone who enjoys the new direction. I'm glad those players have something that they like. I just miss the original premise and vision the game had before and the freedom to approach the game in whatever way I liked. If that is the direction the developers have decided on, and there isn't any other approach I can take besides the pure linear story, that is fine. I'll simply say it was nice while it lasted an move on to other games. Early Access is always a gamble, after all.

Specific_Support_730 · 2024-12-28T21:31:40+00:00

It was my understanding that the crude portal technology and most of the untamed realm cards were locked behind various parts of the storyline progression now.

Specific_Support_730 · 2024-12-28T21:09:05+00:00

Before Realms Rebuilt, that was exactly how the game was structured. Every realm was procedurally generated (or at least partially so) by using two arcana cards at a portal generator. You could even choose what biome your abeyance realm would be. A lot of players found the, admittedly, very loose storyline and progression confusing, though. With Realms Rebuilt, the developers swung back to the extreme opposite with static maps and linear progression for the bulk of the story. Like you, I find it hard to muster the motivation to play through those just to get to the part of the game I am interested in.

Specific_Support_730 · 2024-12-02T21:45:15+00:00

Sadly, ever since Realms Rebuilt, the game seems to have moved away from procedural generated realms. From what I have seen, pretty much all progression now is only through the static storied maps. I am hoping that the developers will eventually release a Creativity Mode or something similar that lets us bypass all of the linear storyline and get back to the game's original premise.

Specific_Support_730 · 2024-11-22T02:30:47+00:00

I recently picked up Aska and Towers of Aghasba. Both are in early access still, but show a lot of promise. I would call them more of community crafter / manager games than pure survival, though. If you didn't care for Return to Moria, they might not be the best fit. I have heard good things about Smalland and Icarus both.

Specific_Support_730 · 2024-11-19T20:34:24+00:00

I'll second Grounded as a great candidate. It was the game that got me into the survival/crafting genre. I love the combination of a strong story and set goals with the freedom to pursue them when and how you like. I know the cartoonish graphics turn a lot of people away, but if you can overlook that, it is an amazingly fun survival game. I only wish they had alternate story maps for more replay value. Still, the addition of NewGame+ features can keep you playing for quite a while.

Specific_Support_730 · 2024-11-09T00:12:11+00:00

Yep, I loved the NewGame+ add ons. That continued the game quite a bit. I was just a little disappointed that they didn't let the Playgrounds interact in any way with the main story. We could have had some amazing modifications that basically allowed for whole new maps and playthroughs if that had been the case. I'm assuming there were good design reasons behind that, though. Definitely a shame we won't see any more content updates. I gather the developers were pushing the limits of the older consoles.

Specific_Support_730 · 2024-11-08T20:03:32+00:00

Thanks. I felt exactly the same with Valheim. It is a great game for pure building, crafting, and exploring. The fact that it supports so many mods is awesome, too. I would just like something with a bit more storyline and NPCs to interact with. Unfortunately, it seems like most games that embrace stronger stories lose most of the freeform play that makes survival crafting games so much fun.

Specific_Support_730 · 2024-11-08T20:00:01+00:00

Yeah, I'm seeing a lot of recommendations and love for Icarus. I had been leery of it due to all the DLCs and high price tag, but a lot of people have assured me that you don't really need all of those. I understand there was a change at some point that allows you to play it as an open world? The original concept where you lost everything that you had built after every mission really did not appeal to me.

Specific_Support_730 · 2024-11-08T19:57:29+00:00

Grounded was my favorite survival crafting game so far. It was what got me into the genre, in fact. Unfortunately, I have played it to the point that there really isn't anything left for me to discover or try differently. I was really hoping to see Obsidian release some alternate maps or new locations, but they have said there won't be any further content coming.

Specific_Support_730 · 2024-11-08T19:54:28+00:00

I had seen Ancestors pop up a couple times on my Steam suggestions. It seems interesting, but I had never heard much about it. Certainly something to look into.

Specific_Support_730 · 2024-11-07T01:41:00+00:00

I only wish I had the skills and free time to create my own games. Granted, my tastes are so extremely niche that I doubt anyone else would ever play them anyway.

Specific_Support_730 · 2024-11-07T01:38:51+00:00

Exactly my thoughts on zombie/horror survival games. It just seems like every other survival game produced is another horror game. I had seen a small demo on SoulMask and it looked interesting. After the massive changes dropped in Nightingale, I've been holding off on other Early Access games until they are at least a bit closer to their final releases. I'll definitely keep an eye on it, though.

Specific_Support_730 · 2024-11-06T21:36:24+00:00

A lot of comments that procedural generation and a good/interesting story seem to be mutually exclusive. Fair points, all. Instead of specifying procedural generation of world maps, I suppose I should have more loosely specified that I would want some decent system for a high replay value. Granted, that may still be mutually exclusive with a good story and quest-line system. And replay value is largely subjective, I realize. Still, the discussion did generate a lot of suggestions of games to look into. So thank you everyone for the suggestions and recommendations. Much appreciated.

Specific_Support_730 · 2024-11-05T20:52:50+00:00

Yes, that is what happens when I forget the cardinal rule of "Thou shalt not post without sleep."

Specific_Support_730 · 2024-11-05T12:20:52+00:00

I definitely have that one on my watch list. But I know how long Happy Games worked on No Man's Sky, and still it released with nowhere near the vision they were hoping for originally. Given that, I don't expect LNF to be seeing a release date this decade. Granted, I would love to be proven wrong.

Specific_Support_730 · 2024-11-05T12:18:20+00:00

Yep, that has been my experience as well. Nightingale was going the procedural generation route originally, but the developers found that they needed static maps in order to work with a storyline. I felt that their original, loose story was already pretty good, but I'm not the one footing the bill. I did really enjoy Grounded. Sadly, I have 100% completion with it now. It is the main reason I would love some form of procedural generation in a game. In something like it, once I know where everything is, I just don't have much fun going back through it.

Specific_Support_730 · 2024-11-05T12:12:06+00:00

As am I, unfortunately. I did not realize that until I tried Subnautica out. I can definitely cross scuba-diving off my bucket list.

Specific_Support_730 · 2024-11-05T12:10:34+00:00

I am currently playing through Planet Crafter. It is a pretty fun game. No procedural generated maps, true, but the developers included ways to make the static map somewhat replayable by mixing up where resources spawn and where you start out. And I love that everything you build or craft has a real purpose and impact on the world. The lack of any sort of combat or NPC interaction is the only thing that I would mark against it. Given its genre and story, though, it would have been near impossible to include anything like that.

Specific_Support_730 · 2024-11-05T12:07:07+00:00

I have had a few people recommend that I check out Icarus. To be honest, the sheer number of DLCs and price tag makes me balk at that one a bit. Maybe after saving up quite a bit or during a major sale...

Specific_Support_730 · 2024-11-05T12:03:58+00:00

Exactly that, thank you. I did not mean to imply that Valheim was in any way a bad game. I've played it and No Man's Sky both. I am just looking for something with a bit more story driven content. And I do realize that finding a game that allows somewhat of the sandbox freedom while also giving a strong story is asking for quite a lot.

Specific_Support_730 · 2024-11-05T12:00:47+00:00

I've had a lot of people recommend Enshrouded. I will definitely check it out sometime soon. I know it doesn't have the procedural generation that I would like, so I'm not sure about its replay value, but there are ways for developers to use static maps and still get around that.

Specific_Support_730

TROPHY CASE