[Campaign] Troll Campaign

[Nobelian]

Aqir is also part of the Old Gods and means that later there will be a faceless one, even if only a little.

 

[Deolrin]

My god, that Praetor looks incredible. Fantastic touch-up to -Grendel's model.

 

[frostwhisper]

About time for a real update, don't you think?

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Troll Campaign v1.4a Changelog​

• Chapters 3 and 4 are now fully playable:

Chapter 3: Children of the Void - an extensive micro mission, featuring rich lore, unique and challenging bosses, submaps, puzzles, and more.
Chapter 4: Tunnel Vision - a hectic macro mission where you can employ the (near) full arsenal of the troll techtree against multiple enemies.
The new chapters feature countless new assets, custom tilesets, and custom music.

• Reworked Kruppe's Summon Shop ability. The shop is now constantly present on the map; activating the ability will instantly move the shop in front of Kruppe.
• Added a new event in Chapter 1's first quest, ensuring that the player meets Kruppe.
• Updated the Ravager model to now correctly match its mounted version.
• Chief Turanga now has a unique model.
• Many minor bug fixes, tooltip changes, ability optimizations, and balance modifications.

Spoiler: Previews from the two new chapters

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Note: the project has grown significantly since the last update. So much so in fact, that I can no longer upload the campaign file to this thread.
So for testing purposes, use the Google Drive link above. Soon enough, the project will reach a completion stage where I'm happy to upload it to the Hive's database.

Note 2: To get the most out of these two chapters, I recommend playing them in the correct sequence (choices in Chapter 3 matter for Chapter 4).

 

[lichao001486]

Very good. I like the campaign very much. This is a great campaign.

 

[Nobelian]

Finally! Troll War and Old God! I can't wait to see it after so long! Viewing the Black Empire assets of Ny'alotha

 

[A]mun]

This looks very well done!
Should i use the quenching mod to play this on reforged?

 

[frostwhisper]

Zorrot actually tested an earlier version of the campaign through Quenching, and it seems to run fine. So give it a spin. Though I still recommend playing on classic graphics, as some of the custom assets are the wrong scale otherwise.

 

[A]mun]

Well what a ride!
Played through the first 2 chapters in no time. And chapter 3 looks to be the best so far.
Bit on the easy side, despite choosing hard difficulty.

Btw, quenching works alright, but some bugs remained:

• chest models invisible (gotta guess where they are)
• custom main menu not displaying
• custom ui not showing
• some icons mismatching between classic and hd version

Now, don't mind me, i'll head into the depths again. I wonder what terrors await.

 

[frostwhisper]

Thanks for the feedback so far. I can only assume the graphical bugs are based on the use of custom assets.
Some items use the default chest model, they're probably visible. Many others (runes, orbs, quest items) use custom assets that might not show up.
Same with icons probably. Classic-looking icons are custom assets; HD versions are game-default. Ditto with the UI.

Oh and keep in mind, I've not really designed the campaign with difficulty settings (yet?). No matter what the war3 in-game settings say you'll get the same experience

Looking forward to hearing what you think of the rest!

 

[A]mun]

Too bad it stopped working now:
The transition to a submap (i suspect at least) in chapter 3 malfunctions (kicks me into the main menu). I bet it's the same for all submaps, sadly.

So now i need to replay everything (unless you pm me a cheatcode to chapter 3 hint hint) on a 1.27b version, or what would you recommend?!

 

[frostwhisper]

I was wondering if that would happen. Unfortunate, but still good to know. Probably has something to do with file names and Quenching interactions. Might be valuable info for the Quenching team as well, I'll give them a shout.

On classic patches (where the campaign screen works) you can start straight from chapter 3. All the buttons are unlocked before release to make testing easier. Your heroes will have a few less stats and items on them (skipped tomes and opt quests) but it's nothing drastic.

Keep in mind though that I made this on 1.29, so 1.27b might not be able to run it. Not sure about ch3, but in ch4 I'm definitely taking advantage of the 24 player slots which did not exist before 1.29.

 

[A]mun]

Interesting,
in Quenching i have to unlock all the chapters (it's mimicking reforged campaigns in some way i assume).
Also, i can verify that 1.27 is not working.
Trying 1.29 now.

P.s: Those mushroom enemies are cool! I wonder where you got the model from, could swear i saw them around here some time ago?!
- ah they are from Callahan nvm

edit: well, getting 1.29 seems like an impossible task, i'll keep on digging
edit2: [Need Help] Back to 1.29 got me covered, finally back in (this time without any bugs)

 

[frostwhisper]

I can only assume Quenching does something name-related to the files as well, which is why the save/load triggers aren't working.
Glad it's working now. Keep me posted!

 

[A]mun]

Chapter 4 was quite intense.
I thought right until the end, that i had to beat the timer, silly me it was just about the third artifact (tried 3 times to steamroll my way through the insect hordes ).

So it's a cliffhanger, what do you think is the ETA of chapter 5?

 

[frostwhisper]

You raise a good point. I'll consider a couple of tweaks to communicate the quest objectives more clearly with the next update.

As for what's on the roadmap: I've got an interlude in the works after which I'll commence development on chapter 5. Once these two are finished I'll consider the campaign (or rather this act of it) done, and I'll do a proper release in the Hive's database.

Keep in mind that the interlude will be fully custom animated so I can't really give you an accurate ETA. Maybe Christmas? That's probably a bit generous but we'll see.

 

[Focus]

Hello. A very good campaign, I've always been interested in trolls as races, and at least someone made a normal campaign with them.

 

[tulee]

I can only assume Quenching does something name-related to the files as well, which is why the save/load triggers aren't working.
Glad it's working now. Keep me posted!

If Quenching is giving issues, I suggest people try out using the campaign splitter, it is a tool made specifically to play campaigns on 1.32+.

Xetanth87's Campaign Splitter - Turn Custom Campaigns into separate Maps (now with Archon Mode)

Turn Custom Campaigns into separate Maps (now with ARCHON MODE) Description: It can split campaign files (w3n) into separate map files (w3m/w3x) and add all the campaign data inside the map files. It can be used to make Custom Campaigns playable in CO-OP. You could even create your own Custom...

www.hiveworkshop.com

This campaign looks great, trolls for the most part never get any love in custom campaigns, this might be the first CC where trolls are the central characters to the story.

 

[frostwhisper]

Interesting. I wonder if the campaign splitter works with submaps. Time will tell I guess.

 

[Nobelian]

Interesting. I wonder if the campaign splitter works with submaps. Time will tell I guess.

@frostwhisper Considering that we are dealing with the subordinates of the Old Gods, will there be a chapter in which we will enter Ny'alotha?

 

[A]mun]

Interesting. I wonder if the campaign splitter works with submaps. Time will tell I guess.

From his youtube channel:
Xetanth87's Warcraft 3 Alternate
It does actually keep the inventory. The only thing that doesn't work is map transitions. You will need to open each map manually

 

[frostwhisper]

Well I mean, I'm not too surprised. Submaps are finicky even without adding Reforged into the equation. I've always considered the project for 1.29 anyway. Reforged ports are a low priority, definitely something to look at post-release.

will there be a chapter in which we will enter Ny'alotha?

Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

 

[Enki555]

Really like this project. So far, so good. Just finished the demo and it was refreshing! Liked how void spells of aqir heroes and their effects, and they are one hell of bugs to deal with. 10/10 on music score: especially liked the one in 3rd mission's titan forge. 8.5/10 on narration; dialogues are quite literary and very enjoyable; especially Kruppe's lines xD. I can see much thoughts put into writing these lines. Would be more perfect if more literary devices are used such as alliteration and occasional poems & riddles thro the campaign. 9/10 on gameplay; there were occasional bugs such as at 4th mission, Kaldra's avatar can't be summoned no matter how much I tried to click on combined artifact and even switched to and fro with a trio; to no avail. Only stats remained. Storyline is nice with Zando now in league with his apprentice as a talisman, and exactly how Aqir vs Troll war is supposed to be depicted. There was this hilarious Danse Macabre (found out it was Street Manifesto xD) moment in 3rd mission's ziggurat and that cheesed the fun of campaign. Also fitted well with Bwonsamdi's rather sassy personality. Just amount of work and soul put into this moment... good things indeed take time. Heroes are well-balanced and can take out entire aqir army if well-managed. And yeah Rendar is... duno why but

Spoiler

. I wonder if it will be possible to play as aqir sometime in the future with Kith'ix as hero. I recommend some silent hill themes along with black empire theme if playing as old gods' forces is possibility. GL

 

[frostwhisper]

Thank you for the kind words. I do put a lot of effort into writing the dialogue. It's a fine line between giving enough information and not becoming too verbose. Writing in prose is a bit beyond my capabilities, but who knows. Sometimes it all comes down to inspiration. Riddles are great in lore-oriented micro missions, and are something I'd love to do one day. I recall there were some in the Dwarf Campaign, and that's been a major source of inspiration for me (if the name didn't give it away )

I'll have a look at Kaldra's Armour Set. The summon ability is there from what I can see in the object data. Perhaps something in the triggered way the player obtains the item causes a glitch.

 

[Kyrbi0]

... Kaldra's Armour Set. The summon ability is...

You didn't...
You did.
Can't friggin believe it you madlad xD

 

[Navy45]

I've tried to play the first chapter on 1.29.2 but, as soon as the opening cinematic ended (beautiful cinematics btw), there is no music (neither custom or the standard orc one). The cinematic music worked fine. I tried to launch the 2nd chapter and I have the opposite problem; there is no music in the cinematic and, once the gameplay start, the standard orc music plays (I haven't played the campaign in a while so I can't remember if there are custom musics outside of cinematics).

I've tried switching the music on and off and saving/loading the chapter. Has anyone come across this problem ?

 

[frostwhisper]

Hmm, that's weird. Seems to work fine on my end (exact version is 1.29.2.9231). Chapter 2 uses the default orc music other than in cinematics, so at least that part makes sense. Is your music enabled prior to starting the campaign?

 

[Navy45]

Hmm, that's weird. Seems to work fine on my end (exact version is 1.29.2.9231). Chapter 2 uses the default orc music other than in cinematics, so at least that part makes sense. Is your music enabled prior to starting the campaign?

Yes that was the first thing I checked. Tried restarting after checking and there was still no music. I guess I'll play on 1.31 and hope there won't be a problem later in the campaign. Just to be sure, does the 1st chapter also have the default orc music ? Because that's what I get on 1.31.

 

[frostwhisper]

Nope, the first chapter is all custom music. Cinematics and gameplay. You get one playlist during the first two quests, and then another during quests 3 and 4.

Do let me know how it works on 1.31, and whether the same problems persist in chapters 3 and 4. Music is an essential aspect of building the right atmosphere so it's definitely something I need to address before release.

I believe I'm using the SetMapMusic native for custom playlists on all maps sans chapter 2, but I'll need to double-check that.

EDIT: @A]mun @Ecstasy49 since you played the newest version quite recently, did you have any similar experiences with the music?

 

[Nobelian]

Hello @frostwhisper, any news regarding this glorious Troll Campaign update?

 

[krawg]

one of the best wow i mean 'wow' is all i can say great concept i like the spells the story bownsamdi singing its amazing what people can do nowdays tired of scourage of lorderon remakes and updates and sheit this is a masterpeice keep the great work concept is so good unique story telling just great i like the item combination clearly alot of time has been invested in this big thumbs up 5/5

 

[frostwhisper]

Long time no see! Chapter 5 is now under development.

Spoiler: How it started

Spoiler: How it's going

 

[lichao001486]

Mr. frostwhisper
I have a question about optional quest in chapter one. I can't find the second optional quest in chapter one. Could you tell me how should the second optional quest in chapter one be found.

 

[frostwhisper]

Have a walk around this area and see if there's anybody to talk to

Spoiler

 

[lichao001486]

Have a walk around this area and see if there's anybody to talk to
View attachment 421084

Thank you very much.

And I want to report a problem. The below trigger can be triggered repeatedly. Every time i passes the area, it will be triggered.

 

[Yae Miko]

As soon as I started Chapter 1, I had problems with the music. After the cinematics, the music disappears. This happened in 1.29.2 btw. Tried with 1.31 but the default orc music played. What patch should I use?

 

[frostwhisper]

As soon as I started Chapter 1, I had problems with the music. After the cinematics, the music disappears. This happened in 1.29.2 btw. Tried with 1.31 but the default orc music played. What patch should I use?

1.29.2 should be the correct patch. You're not the first person to report a music issue. Could you try this version and tell me if the issue persists?
DOWNLOAD

The below trigger can be triggered repeatedly. Every time i passes the area, it will be triggered.

Thanks for catching that! It's been fixed.

Appreciate the feedback, folks.

 

[Yae Miko]

1.29.2 should be the correct patch. You're not the first person to report a music issue. Could you try this version and tell me if the issue persists?

Issue fixed. Thanks a lot! Looking forward for more updates.

 

[frostwhisper]

Happy to hear that! The music choices are very deliberate for getting the atmosphere right, so that's a load off my chest.

 

[Navy45]

Just played the first chapter with the latest version (the one in the post above). The music worked well but it only lasted until the caravan reached its destination. Nothing after that point. Is this normal ? (I've tried reloading the game and skipping the cinematic but neither worked). Either way, the campaign is still awesome

 

[frostwhisper]

It should be fixed now. It was a matter of changed pathways and outdated sound variables. I set them at the start of the map but apparently neglected to do so for the mid-mission music change. Here's the hotfix: DOWNLOAD

 

[frostwhisper]

Here's a fun proof of concept: AI-generated voiceover based on samples from the unit soundsets.
While it struggles with accents a bit, the inflection is nearly flawless. I am considering voicing the entire project with this.

 

[Wa666r]

Stumbled across this. Honestly, sounds great. And better than what amateur voice actors could do. I was heavily considering using AI voices for my campaign too, but its hard to justify spending actual money on ElevenLabs for projects that do not yield returns.

Also, campaign looks great from what I've seen. I sense a lot of love poured into it. Definitely gonna try it out.

 

[Kyrbi0]

Heck yeah man, thanks for blazing that trail. I've been struggling about what to do re: voices myself (since I'm also doing Trolls, but also don't have a Jamaican accent); it really sounds quite impressive. It's amazing what voices can do for a project.

What system/program/website/AI are you using? How much did it cost?

 

[frostwhisper]

It's called elevenlabs. So far I've been using its free mode, mostly to test out the different characters' voices. Not every voice works as well as the ones in the preview. I'll be getting a sub for a month to test out more (the cheapest is $5).

 

[ginnaretur]

How to get past earthen guardsman? I have amani ale in inventory, I've tried to give it to them and nothing happened

 

[frostwhisper]

Each of the guards has a single inventory slot. You should be able to give them the item to pass.

 

[ginnaretur]

Each of the guards has a single inventory slot. You should be able to give them the item to pass.

That's what I did, but I have just one keg. Could it be, because I bought the keg at the start of the chapter?

 

[frostwhisper]

You only need one keg. As long as one of the guards gets it, a short cinematic should trigger.

 

[ginnaretur]

You only need one keg. As long as one of the guards gets it, a short cinematic should trigger.

I will restart the chapter and buy it after first cinematic with them

 

[frostwhisper]

I will restart the chapter and buy it after first cinematic with them

You shouldn't need to. What patch are you playing on, if you don't mind?