Volcano Productions

Coondred updated to version 1.2

2012-02-01T01:06:00.001+01:00

After another bug report, Coondred has been updated to version 1.2. He should install and function properly now. Enjoy!

Coondred updated to version 1.1

2012-01-29T14:06:00.002+01:00

Wolfie Oracle pointed out some bugs to me (thanks!), which I (hopefully) fixed, and I've uploaded the new version 1.1. Enjoy!

Requested removal of Kari from Enkida's portrait mod

2012-01-29T13:51:00.003+01:00

I've sent Enkida a PM requesting the removal of Kari's portrait from his/her portrait pack. I don't have a problem with alternate portraits, but I wasn't asked for permission. This could have any number of reasons, from being unable to find this website of mine, to simply not bothering or forgetting to ask for permission.

So yes, please ask for my permission first, if you want to release additional or tweaking content for my mods. I do not have an issue with portrait art being posted up on DeviantArt or some such, or if players change portraits on their local machine.

As a side note, I would not have given permission for that particular portrait, as I find it quite ugly, and apparently Enkida does as well. I prefer the art for Kariwolf that I already use. Nope, I'm not bashing Enkida's art or skill, as I've seen gorgeous portraits made by him/her.

Enkida's portrait for Kari

2012-01-24T01:44:00.002+01:00

I just saw the portrait for my Kari mod that Enkida made for her mod, for which she didn't contact me, or anyone else I'm sure. I quite like the one Kariwolf has now. The one she made looks like a creepy muppet. She doesn't like it either. In fact, she states she'll never ever do anthro stuff again because she dislikes it a lot. My question is, why even create it if you dislike it so much? What's worse, she pairs it with Moddie the Vixen. -sigh- I'm getting a little tired of my furry mods being linked to Moddie. Moddie ain't a fur and it's a sucky mod, so stop linking it to Kari, Coondred or any of my other furry mods, please. Thank you. Also, she states that kobolds are crocodiles with horns in the Forgotten Realms setting, acting like it's soooooo weird that I made Kari this way. Er, in NWN yeah. In Baldur's Gate, no. If THOSE are supposed to be lizards, then Bioware really screwed up with the animations and sounds. I also believe she didn't or can't seperate Kari the kobold from Kariwolf (since she replaced the Kariwolf portrait, but uses the Kari the kobold version as information reference).

So yeah, can't say I'm very pleased with Enkida's portrait mod, or her manner towards my mods and furries in general. My advice would be: Just ignore her and forget about her mod like it doesn't exist.

ACTA: The new European anti-internet privacy bill... It never ends

2012-01-22T22:26:00.002+01:00

If you thought the USA was the only place for crap like SOPA, PIPA and HR 1981, think again. Europe is now thinking on passing a similar bill really soon, called ACTA. In the nine hells, stop trying to screw us over!

Click here to STOP the EU parliament from signing this damned bill!

https://www.accessnow.org/page/s/just-say-no-to-acta

New Internet Snooping bill: HR 1981

2012-01-21T10:07:00.000+01:00

Goddamnit. Now they're trying to pass "H.R. 1981" bill, known as the "protect children from internet pornographers act", but better known as the new "Internet Snooping Bill". Again, that isn't the true purpose...it's just a name. What it *really* does is force your ISP to store your personal information for 12 months, and make it available to the government, without you having a say in the matter. This personal information includes: your name, address, phone number, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, and temporarily-assigned IP addresses. You don't even have to be suspected of any crime at all for them to do that. They just do.

More information here:
http://act.demandprogress.org/letter/snooping_bill

Also visit this. Oppose HR 1981!!!!

https://wfc2.wiredforchange.com/o/9042/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=8175

Gibberlings 3: Infinity Engine Modding RSS updated

2012-01-20T20:12:00.001+01:00

G3's Infinity Engine Modding RSS link was updated, and their main page was pointing to a "coding error" page rather than the actual RSS. Apparently the link in the forums does work, and so I have updated it here, so we of Volcano Productions can view the RSS news.

"SOPA-Light" aka PIPA

2012-01-20T19:34:00.004+01:00

Apparently SOPA has been shelved for the moment, so they're trying to pass PIPA in a few days. This is a common tactics, because PIPA appears less outrageous than SOPA. Don't buy it, keep fighting against SOPA and PIPA. A big fat HELLNO to both!

And so...the cyberwar begins.

2012-01-20T17:12:00.003+01:00

I saw the news this morning. The day after Wikipedia and many other sites went "black" as protest to the SOPA and PIPA laws, the FBI went and took the filehosting service MegaUpload offline and arrested people who worked there. Hackergroup Anonymous launched a counterattack with what they called "the biggest attack ever", and forced many government and music label websites to go offline.

I've known about SOPA for a while now. While I don't support piracy (I'm a musician), I also don't support the destruction of the internet, which imho is what SOPA & PIPA will do. I wish they wouldn't nuke the net before starting to think of different solutions. It sounds like they're desperate and would rather censor EVERYTHING except for a few things (just like it is in China and North Korea), and make EVERYTHING online illegal, from social networking, shared media, streaming media, modding, even playing in a coverband will become illegal because you don't own the rights to those songs. In addition, they're free to not only shut down any website they want, without legal process or courts, they're also allowed to arrest anyone they suspect of piracy. No proof necessary, no courts.

It will harm and destroy the internet, arguably the most valuable, useful tool mankind has created in the last couple of decades.

It seems that despite SOPA & PIPA haven't passed and President Obama is against it, they went ahead and started their offense. And so the internetbattle between the governments & corporations vs. the common man begins...

Take this seriously, people. Even if you don't live in the USA, you'll still be unable to access the sites targeted by them.

I'll quietly be watching this, and if it gets out of hand, I might have to close down Volcano Productions and my related blogs until further notice.

Created map and poll

2012-01-19T18:03:00.002+01:00

As you can see, I've created a map at the top of the page, which is nothing more than an indicator of how many visitors Volcano Productions gets, and where they are from (approx). It's a fun lil' extra.

I've also created a poll regarding the Soul Exchange wiki. The team and I have been starting to create it behind the scenes, and I want the players' opinion on whether or not to make the wiki public. Only I will be able to edit it, however. It will contain a lot of information on SE, but also has spoilers, just like any game-related Wikia page has. So do you want to see the wiki with spoilers, or should I wait until SE has been released before making the wiki public?

Vote now. No registration is required.

Some status updates

2012-01-17T10:46:00.002+01:00

-yawns- Hey there. It's been over a week now since I returned from my trip and went back to modding. Though honestly, I've been sleeping (jetlag, plus my daily rhythm shifted some), and spending time with my boyfriend. There's been little time to mod. It hasn't been on my mind much lately. Nope, I'm not giving it up. Just means there might not be much progress for a lil' while...from me, at least. Energisedcamel has written some awesome stuff in the meantime, though.

I hope I feel energetic enough soon, so I can start what I plan to do. Namely finding some volunteer work, exercising, moving later in the year, and hopefully getting this new metal band off the ground.

Also, my boyfriend plans to visit me asap. More on that later.

Chosen of Mystra: Quantity over quality?

2012-01-13T15:04:00.003+01:00

Chosen of Mystra, or CoM as it's often called. I once hosted my mods there, when I first started modding. The community was generally friendly, and it still had Sillara, Nethrin and Mistress Elysia there (and their mods). Many of the mods in progress there didn't make it, including mine.

Overall, several users made staying there rather bothersome. Mostly Undertaker, who insisted on trolling me wherever I went. He doesn't seem to be around anymore, and even if he tries it again, this time around it will have no effect. Also, Dark Raven or whatever she was called, was generally an anti-social cold-hearted bitch who frequently enjoyed being blunt and cruel.

The admin still hates me over things that happened years ago. He's banned me on CoM and his new TeamBG revival. I don't particularly care. You know, I actually suspect him of having a plethora of accounts on both sites. Here's why: The account names keep changing, from Solaufein, Revan, Dark Raven, Raven, Belladonna, Bardess, Gabrielle, etc etc etc. It gets confusing as to who is who. Also, and this is more important, they all sound alike. None of them seems to have their own personality. It's the same rather unemotional replies to pretty much everything. Dark Raven's bitchiness could simply be a BDSM-like act. We all know it's pretty obvious the guy is into vampires, darkness, BDSM and all that, seeing his mods.

Speaking of his mods, they all have similar spelling/grammar errors, and they all portray the BG vanilla characters rather out of character (OOC). That goes for all his supposed accounts' mods as well. Again, very similar. And that's what bothers me about CoM's mods. They all have bad grammar/spelling, and all Biowares are OOC. Sucks, because their NPC's do have potential. I have played them. Alora is one of my favourite BG1 NPC's and I was overjoyed to see they made an Alora NPC for BG2. But the OOC-ness and bad grammar/spelling turned me off so much. I edited it and released "AloraFix", which Dark Raven/that guy got pissed off at and gave me a temporary ban. And supposedly he has a thick skin. -chuckles- He still hates me after all these years.

Anyway, I plan to one day release my own version of Alora. I'm not claiming to be a perfect writer. I do make typos and mistakes. I'm not even a native English speaker, though I'm better at English than my native language as far as writing's concerned. However, I do make far less spelling/grammar errors than that guy, and my Biowares sound IC. For example, I will release the Aerie Relationship mod, which features a lesbian romance with the PC, and showing different angles of Aerie, while still making her act like Aerie. That CoM guy could never do that. He screwed up Alora, and I weep for what he'll do to "Xzar & Monty" and "The Forgotten".

Returned

2012-01-09T16:16:00.001+01:00

I have returned from my vacation. It was amazing, the best ever!
So yes, that means I have time to mod again. However, I will be a bit busier than before and thus have less time to mod.

Shoutbox removed

2012-01-08T04:35:00.002+01:00

Shoutmix has discontinued their free service, and as such I have removed it from this blog. I don't think I'll replace it with yet another shoutbox service anytime soon, seeing they're mostly only used by spambots.

Well guys...

2011-12-09T15:29:00.000+01:00

This is the final weekend before my time off modding. Vacation, to be exact. I'll have net access during my vacation, although I don't think I'll spend a lot of time modding. I mean, that's not why I'm on vacation! -chuckles- I might check the forums and such a bit, and if I happen to think of a good dialogue all of a sudden, I will write it down, but other than that I'm taking at least four weeks off.

So to all of you, a merry christmas, happy newyear, and see you all next year!

Greets,

Aion

Aion talks about Soul Exchange & more

2011-12-05T15:26:00.002+01:00

Seeing there has been quite a surge of progress, I sat down with Aion to have a more in-depth discussion about Soul Exchange.

Hello Aion. How is the project going?

Soul Exchange? It's going really well. It's so wonderful to see my characters being fleshed out more and more. They started out as completely new characters with an idea of what they're like and where they're going, but it takes a lot of pondering, brainstorming if you will, and creative writing to add all the little details that really make a character come alive.

Also, the Soul Exchange team is doing marvellous work on the mod. They're excellent writers and create beautiful things, plus they give me amazing feedback. They're also really nice lovely people and a delight to know and work with.

Who are currently on your team?

The most active team members at this time, besides myself, are energisedcamel and Agashi. energisedcamel is working on Chiron, while Agashi is working on Kobalyn.

Other team members include Brei, who seems busy with her own projects, such as the blackguard Velcan over at Petals & Thorns. Very interesting character. Also, Smiling Imp, TDouglas, and Ipsy (Ipsissimus). Sadly Ipsy seems to have disappeared from the modding scene altogether, and I haven't seen the other three around much. That's okay, though. Working with me on Soul Exchange is completely voluntarily, whenever one can and feels like it. ^^ Oh, and there's diamondeye whom I know outside of the modding scene. He isn't a modder, but he's played Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 (with and without mods), and can offer his advice and feedback on things.

How do you experience being the project lead?

One of the most fun aspects of it, is to work with lovely people on my mod. I have a certain idea of where I want the characters and mod to go, but I'm always open to new ideas and suggestions. I often post things in the workroom, just to get feedback. I mean, a hydra knows more than a dragon cause it has multiple heads. Y'know, "two heads are better than one"? Failed D&D translation, yay!

Anyway, yeah. I'm not that hard to work with. I'm willing to consider things, and often it'll be no problem to make a tweak. For example, Agashi wanted to write Kobalyn's romance and give the player the option to react in "good" ways as well, despite the romance being for neutral/evil females as well. I opened up the romance to any female PC. No problem. Other things would be harder for me to tweak, like...for example, make Torquon be a happy person who loves to make friends.

Every so often I give some constructive feedback because I envision a certain way, and I'd like the dialogue to reflect that. I usually do so in a kind constructive way, as I truly don't want to be the rude bully going "Eh this crap sucks, loser". I find that truly unnecessary, and I'm not going to be that kind of person.

Speaking of evil NPC's, there aren't many evil characters in Soul Exchange that want to befriend your PC, right?

That's right. For example Torquon has no intentions of making friends. Others, like Jinédalya, Kobalyn, Heloise, Andvariseim, and in a way Stormgarde and Pavorn, will be open to a friendship in some way or other.

Good and neutral characters are generally a tad more friendly, although not always, nor always quick to befriend your PC. Dolga for example will not be friends as quickly as Nitalans will be.

You mentioned earlier they are all new characters. Could you tell us more of the creative process involved?

It started off really simple, on an Excel sheet. I took a portrait and combined it with a race, class and alignment. That was the base of Soul Exchange. I wanted a cast that was 1) appealing to me, and 2) more fair than Bioware's. I then named them from the top of my head. That's one of my strengths, coming up with names.

So I thought of the idea to have three groups of six NPC's, representing good, neutral and evil. In each group, there would be at least one warrior, one priest, one mage and one thief. Bards and druids were considered extra classes. All three groups eventually ended up with two warriors, one priest, one mage and one thief, and a wildcard. That way, since the maximum amount of NPC's is 5 + the PC, you could have any class of PC and still have enough NPC's left for an all-good or an all-evil party or something. Of course you can have anyone join you regardless of alignment or anything else, but yeah...that was the idea behind it.

For the good group, I already had two warriors: Yslan the ranger and Chiron the paladin (cavalier). I decided on a half-orc barbarian, Ormgrod, as wildcard. The rest of the group includes Nitalans as mage (sorcerer), Rachelle as thief (and a fighter), and Ameeri as priest (cleric of Lathander).

The neutral group was a bit more free, but I had to have Dolga in it. It was a natural choice to include Richter the monk in this group as well. Voila, two warriors. Now for the rest... They became Lae'Dufiil the cleric, Vesnad the bard (Skald) as wilcard, and I simply had to have both Laylan the thief (swashbuckler) and Matthias (fighter->mage dual class) in it as well. Both are based on existing characters (Kika from Suikoden IV for Laylan, and Adray from Star Ocean: 'Till The End Of Time for Matthias), but have been shaped into new original characters.

The evil group was the hardest to create. I went through a number of now-cancelled characters. I just couldn't find the right characters for it. But in the end, I managed to create a group I'm satisfied with. Stormgarde the berserker and Jinédalya the kensai, Torquon the half-orc mage, Kobalyn the avenger druid, Zavriss the assassin, and Pavorn the cleric/thief.

With these groups, I included most classes and races in the game, including half-orc, barbarian, sorcerer and monk. But wait...there is no gnome! Nor a wild mage! Sadly, there was no room in the 18 characters for one. Now what? I've always wanted a gnomish wild mage. I have an idea! Let's make an Expansion Pack! That's where I'll put all my extra ideas that don't necessarily have to fit in with the races/classes/alignments of the first 18.

That's how the Expansion Pack NPC's were created. I'm planning to release the gnomish wild mage, Fairfax, in the Expansion Pack along with the standard mod (meaning the first 18 NPC's).

Another aspect I needed to keep in mind are romances. Again, I wanted it to be more fair than Bioware, so I settled on 8 romances in the standard mod, again kind of alignment based but not fully. The two good romanceable characters are Ameeri and Nitalans. The two neutrals (formerly Expansion Pack content) are Dolga and Vesnad (formerly Lae'Dufiil), and the two evil romances are Kobalyn and Jinédalya. The other two romances are Laylan for girls and Chiron for guys.

Also, at least two additional romances with Expansion NPC's are planned, namely Andvariseim and Bellamy.

Normally mods add to the existing cast. Why replace them?

Because I wanted to create an entirely new cast. Not just 1-5 new NPC's. Also I'm a bit tired of the Bioware cast, although I still create non-SE mods that deal with it, such as Aerie Relationship and Coondred. Those two reasons led to the initial idea of Soul Exchange, and it's one that hasn't really been done before for vanilla BG2.

I thought about it, and it's entirely possible to play a full SoA & ToB game without any Biowares in your party. You do run into a few small things, such as what to do with Imoen, how to get into the Planar Sphere without killing Valygar... but those things are easily worked around.

How much of the vanilla game will you edit?

As much as necessary for SE to work as I envision it. But don't worry, for the most part it'll be the vanilla game, just with tons of new NPC's and related content.

What about the game's romance music and voicing?

I haven't spent a lot of time looking for romance music as of yet. Yes, I am a musician, but my kind of music doesn't fit in with Baldur's Gate. -chuckles- Heavy metal would sound silly in it.

As for voicing, that'll be one of the last things I'll do/have done. Everything needs to be written first. I myself will most likely voice Chiron, Stormgarde, Torquon, Pavorn, Gregor and Fairfax, utilizing a variety of voices. The rest are up for others to voice.

I have gotten a small complaint about the fact that my voice wouldn't be good enough to voice all these characters. I and others disagree, and I will voice what I can, unless someone else can do the characters I'll voice better.

If you're curious, you can find samples here. Remember that these are rough samples. Chiron's lines are energisedcamel's writing.

What features does Soul Exchange have?

New NPC cast, Expansion Pack, New NPC related quests, new items, alternate Bodhi kidnapping quests, PID's, flirts, banters, interjections, gay romances, romances, workarounds, disabling the Bioware cast's ability to join party, possibly even new areas, and more. Trust me, the mod is quite massive. There is a lot one needs to take into account.

Critics might say you will never finish this mod. What do you say to that?

Pretty much that I don't give a rat's arse about their cynical viewpoints. That's all I see from "experienced" modders nowadays, they tell every new person "Nice idea, but you'll prolly never finish it, so don't even start". I'm not a new modder, and I realize the amount of work involved. I'll work on this for as long as I can and am motivated to do so. At the moment I'm very motivated and able to work on it.

If they say such things based on my past in the modding scene, I'll tell them what I always tell them: Grow up and get over it. I normally never use such phrasing, but the modding scene in particular holds grudges for a very long time. Quite unnecessary if you ask me.

Your opinion of the modding scene isn't very high, then?

Eh, it depends. I don't particularly care for a bunch of individuals. That's about it. There's bad and/or incompatible people everywhere you go. It's not my goal to get along with everyone. Some of the individuals still dislike me based on things that happened up to 7 years ago, even going as far as banning me from the community forums even now. Sorry, but that's quite an awful long time to keep a grudge. I myself have moved on from it, and no longer associate my current self with my past self, hence the name change. I've become a better, happier person. Their inability to get over it says more about them than it does about me.

What's your opinion on Blackwyrm Lair's decision to make their forums paid-only?

Rediculous. Why in the world would anyone pay for forum access? Modding is free and should remain so. I don't care to pay for the rights to report a bug or tell a modder "Hey, good job!". I don't care for their flagship mod Improved Anvil either. Tactical mods aren't for me, and besides, from what I read, the author edits the entire game in order to make his combats insanely challenging, including removing items, disabling skills and all that. [sarcasm]Some tactical genius...[/sarcasm]

But yes, in my opinion their admin Baronius started losing his mind in late 2008 and I think he's being too much of an eastern-European dictator, going as far as using terms like "western this-or-that". I'm not surprised Sikret joins him, being a west-asian and author of Improved Anvil.

I don't know what exactly their motive is for this iron curtain dictatorshit, but I refuse to pay for something so rediculous, not even if I considered IA to be the best mod ever. Rest assured, Volcano Productions and Soul Exchange will always be free of charge.

Would you ever host Soul Exchange or another mod of yours at a well-known modding community, once it has been released?

Doubtful, unless the admins express sincere interest in hosting my mods. For mod distribution and visitors it would be ideal to have it hosted at G3 or SHS (if things can ever be patched up with K'aeloree). But honestly, I manage just fine as it is, and I don't really care much about the amount of visitors to my site. I imagine visitor amounts will pick up when more mods are released, and even if not, there will be players regardless, whether they register and post or not.

You mentioned patching things up with SHS admin K'aeloree. What do you mean?

Nothing much. Some things happened between us in the past which soured and ended our contact. This was before he became admin. I was under the impression he simply pretended to be my friend in order to keep me away from his friends Feuille, Miss Sakaki, and theacefes. We did work on a few mods together, including an early version of the NPC IEP, but I could never shake the feeling he was just faking his friendship with me. I dunno if he was, but that's the feeling I got from him...it didn't feel right, and my gut feeling is usually right. Also, he's acting all kind to the public, he's manipulative, and behind the scenes he can be quite nasty. In my opinion, he's a sociopath, perhaps even a psychopath. Needless to say, we argued, we ended contact, and we've never talked it out since. Last time I spoke to him in 2008, two years after we ended contact, he was very cold and heartless towards me, so I imagine that patching it up isn't going to happen unless he's willing to work with me on that. Not that I have any desire to do so in the foreseeable future, however. There's honestly no need to patch things up with him right now, nor for the last 5 years. I just mentioned it because that'd be necessary should I ever have a mod hosted at SHS.

Ah, I understand. What is your opinion on the current mods available and in progress?

I dunno. It's been a while since I last played mods. Last time I did, the game was buggy. Happens almost every time I try to install some new mods, so I quit that particular playthrough. I think the last time I did an actual mod playthrough was back when mods like Saerileth, Fade, Edwin Romance, Kivan and such were new-ish. Many of the new mods I haven't even played.

Not much of a gamer anymore?

Less than I used to be, since I developed other interests, but I'm still a gamer. Just maybe not a Baldur's Gate gamer so much anymore. I'm more a BG modder nowadays than a BG gamer.

Can you give us an in-depth insight into the Soul Exchange NPC's?

Sure. I just need to think of what I can mention without it being too spoilerish. Ask me next time.

I will do that. Is there anything else you want to say before the end of the interview?

Not at the moment, no.

Back, although...

2011-12-02T17:22:00.002+01:00

I'm back from being inactive 2 days in advance, although I'll be busy making preparations for the next period of inactivity between 12 december 2011 and 8 january 2012.

I'll still be around on the website/forums, but I probably won't have time for modding.

Inactive: 25-11 ~ 4-12

2011-11-25T11:02:00.001+01:00

I'll be inactive between 25 november and 4 december 2011.

Work commencing on Aerie Relationship

2011-11-17T09:48:00.002+01:00

I've started working on the Aerie Relationship mod inbetween my writings for Soul Exchange. Check out the mod's forum for more information.

Misc. mods and Therrin Revival

2011-10-19T15:28:00.001+02:00

I've changed the Old Mods section of the forums into the Misc. Mods section, and I have added Alternate Goo Portrait and Therrin Revival, two forgotten mods, up 'till now.

Doing some cleaning up

2011-10-07T17:55:00.001+02:00

Today I've been cleaning up the forums and website. I've made some changes.

Forums:
-Members and SE Team members can now post replies in the News section.
-Updated category names.
-Created new category for Inactive Projects, for projects that are currently not being worked on.
-Back Burner Projects meaning changed to "still active, but have less priority".
-New NPC mod: Gharn, the gnoll berserker
-New NPC mod forum: 108 Stars Project

Website:
-Updated outdated links.
-Added link for Inactive Projects.
-Updated polls.

Inactive Projects

2011-10-07T17:28:00.001+02:00

Inactive projects are planned, but currently not being worked on.

You can find them all at the forums:

Clickyclick

Inactivity during the year's end

2011-10-06T15:39:00.004+02:00

Due to RL plans, I will most likely not work on modding from half december 2011 'till half january 2012.

Modding will resume before and after those 4 weeks.

Update: It's confirmed. I will be inactive between 12 december 2011 and 8 january 2012, and likely some time before and after as well.

Resumed modding activities

2011-09-02T14:16:00.000+02:00

I've resumed my modding activities after a pause. I'm writing and planning things for Soul Exchange again, behind the scenes.

Magmabox launched!

2011-08-22T11:19:00.004+02:00

I found a new type of shoutbox and decided to use it for this website. Feel free to leave messages. No spam, no ads, no rudeness or hostility.

Mirror servers

2011-08-21T16:49:00.000+02:00

I've found some suitable mirror servers for the downloadable modfiles. I'm not upping them yet, but if Mediafire's giving you issues, let me know on the forums and I'll up it to one of the mirrors.

Work is slowly resuming

2011-08-20T13:47:00.002+02:00

Slowly I'm getting back into modding-mode, and work is picking up a little. I planned some Stormgarde things for Soul Exchange.

Inactivity

2011-07-31T08:19:00.003+02:00

The modding inactivity continues. I have other far more important things going on, and I want to spend my attention and energy solely on that. Things will get better and calm down. When they do, I don't know if I'm motivated to start modding again right away. Time will tell.

Polls

2011-07-12T12:54:00.000+02:00

Some polls have been created at the bottom of this blog. Anyone may vote, and multiple answers may be selected. No following or registration required.

SHS and their strange ways of banning

2011-07-12T08:21:00.003+02:00

-yawns- Today's topic: SHS or Spellhold Studios. I finally registered anew, and made a few posts. So far, so good. Then when I posted a portrait request, admin K'aeloree/Liam visited my profile, and quietly put me on moderator watch. I've made two posts since then, which were not against the rules whatsoever. I merely posted in the SilverStar mod topic saying that I like the mod and hope it'll be picked up again, and I posted in a topic where someone was looking for a male voice. That was a few days ago, and my posts haven't appeared yet. Either the moderators are just lazy, or this is their new way of "banning" me from the forums.

I was banned there like ages ago. Since then, they've been enforcing various ways to keep me away from their forums. From plain banning my IP and account, to deleting my account and all my posts. Right now, they seem to allow the few posts I've made to be shown, but I'm put on modwatch which pretty much means the public won't see my posts since the moderators won't approve anything I post, even if there's nothing wrong with my posts at all. I'm being censored over stuff that happened more than 5 years ago. That's an awfully long time for them to keep the feud active, but such is the modding scene. I mean, Kae has a lot of issues with me. Chosen of Mystra's staff (which is the same guy with multiple accounts) has issues with me and ban me on sight, though TeamBG (same guy) doesn't. Pocketplane Group won't allow me to register nor add Volcano Productions to their modlist under Communities. And I'm sure Blackwyrm Lair's Baronius hates me as he hates every other person out there.

It's kind of pathetic to see them all harboring such hatred towards me, each other, and others, one that keeps on festering for years on end, and probably forever. -chuckles-

I'm so glad I left all that behind me. I'm not going to bother visiting places where I'm not welcome, and I'm not going to fight the uphill battle for justice and redemption. I say let them boil in their own hatred.

Periods of invactivity

2011-07-08T11:40:00.004+02:00

The previously mentioned period of inactivity between 17 july and 27 july may change to a later date. I'll give an update once I have more concrete information. Until the plans are completed and the period of inactivity has passed, I will probably not spend any time on modding. The inactivity refers to modding inactivity, as I will be doing something else.

Cannot spend time on modding now

2011-07-04T21:25:00.001+02:00

Other things are taking priority right now, so I cannot spend time on modding for a while.

Leopard Love mod makes a return

2011-07-03T15:56:00.002+02:00

The Leopard Love mod, where the PC can explore a romantic relationship with a young slave who is cursed to walk the majority of his time in leopard form, makes a return, this time on Volcano Productions. Check out the forums for its subforum.

Forum link fixed

2011-06-30T20:05:00.001+02:00

With the update of the blogs, I accidentally removed the main VP site link to the forums. Due to Blogspot having server issues, I was unable to log in and fix it. I managed to log in just now and fixed the problem, putting the link back. Rejoice.

Seventh interview with Aion

2011-06-28T13:15:00.002+02:00

Good day, Aion! Congratulations on your birthday! How was the day?

Thanks, it was a great day. I got a surprise yummy birthday cake, saw my boyfriend, went to see the new Pirates Of The Caribbean 4 movie at the cinema, and then had dinner at a very cozy chinese wok restaurant. It was soooo good.

That's very good! I'm glad you had a good day. How has modding been?

A lot better than it used to be. Quite a few people offered to help me, and I'm very grateful for any and all time and effort they put into me and Soul Exchange. At the moment most of us are busy doing our own things, but I've been writing things here and there. I did some voicework too, though just samples.

No secret projects in the works?

Hehe, not at the moment, no. I've pondered it, but never got around to doing anything.

Have you played many games?

Just finished a second playthrough of Dragon Age 2, and started a third. I have enough games in my collection that I've yet to try. I'll get around to them eventually.

How's music?

Bass class has to be dimnished, though I'm still going to do it. I'm still bandless, and honestly I'm not ready to join a band now and put a lot of effort and work into it. Perhaps later.

As for music releases, there are some nice ones, but I'm waiting because I want to spend my money on something much better. Which is also the reason I won't spend time on modding between 17 and 27 July.

Have you been around the community much?

Modding? No, I haven't. Just a post here and there, nothing special. I don't spend as much time on those forums as I used to. I pretty much only check Volcano Productions forums every now and then.

Theme updated & more news

2011-06-28T12:58:00.003+02:00

Thanks to Blogger/Blogspot's new functions, I've updated the theme a bit to make it more volcanic. Yay! ^^ The forum keeps its original theme.

Soul Exchange is progressing slowly, things are being written here and there, between all that we of the SE Team have to do IRL. One of my friends has offered to do some female voices for SE once it's time for that, so that helps of course.

It's likely I will not be spending time on Volcano Productions or modding between 17 July and 27 July.

Instant messaging available

2011-06-15T13:28:00.003+02:00

For the modding scene, I can be reached on Yahoo Messenger (YIM) under the names st.aionmodding (for adding me to Yahoo service) and st.aionmodding@yahoo.com (for adding me to MSN/Windows Live service).

Chatbox removed

2011-06-01T09:33:00.002+02:00

I've removed the chatbox from the blog because it was overrun by spambots that apparently come back with the same IP address even after they have been banned. It wasn't used much anyway. Communication with me should happen primarily on the forums, and failing that, e-mail. Although my modding e-mail is not checked often.

Happy birthday to Aion!

2011-05-21T10:31:00.002+02:00

Yush, it's my birthday today. I'm now 26 years old. Going out to see a movie and then eat at the chinese wok later, after spending time with my boyfriend. <3

It's pure coincidence that one of my favourite bands, Pagan's Mind, decided to release their new long-awaited album Heavenly Ecstasy around my birthday! I'm listening to it now, and it's amazing. Also, Theatre Of Tragedy releases their live 2CD and DVD of their final concert, called Last Curtain Call, around my birthday as well. I haven't gotten around to getting that yet, though.

Things are looking up

2011-04-25T10:47:00.002+02:00

Though this Easter has its drawbacks for me and those around me, things are looking up in general. My boyfriend does well with his new job and is probably able to visit me in a while (after we had to delay it) and we'll be able to see each other more, I'm making progress writing my furry story (still just planning out, but still), modding is picking up again, I got back in touch with an old friend I lost last year, music-wise there are many neat new releases and discoveries, plus I got a number of offers to join a band. Not sure what I'm going to do with that, but mew. We'll have to see. I'm just letting myself process everything that's happened lately.

Posted more ads

2011-04-25T10:45:00.002+02:00

In the hope of getting more visitors to this website and forum, I have posted more ads on various RPG gaming and mod websites. If you like the mods hosted here, or the site/forum itself, and want to spread the word, please do so. ^^

More updates

2011-04-04T12:02:00.004+02:00

Well, first of all the band guy I've been in touch with turned out to be an arrogant dick, and the whole thing just didn't feel right, so that's not going to happen. Who knows what the future brings, however.

I've started writing class to write my huge furry fantasy story. Hopefully I can make steady progress with that.

Agashi has joined the Soul Exchange team, which I'm very grateful for. The other team members seem to have disappeared, but I'm glad at least one nice and skilled person is willing to lend me a hand. If more of you want to follow Agashi's excellent example, please do. The sooner the mod can be released, the better of course! But no pressure at all. ^^

Writing class is getting my creativity going again after a long pause, so I'm curious to see what will happen. I have a few mod ideas that I may do on the spot in between, perhaps. Just like I did with Coondred.

Alcander Sidian special

2011-03-19T14:12:00.003+01:00

I've posted an Alcander Sidian special on the forums, revealing what the now-abandoned mod was all about. Find it at the linky below.

Clickyclick

Updates

2011-02-24T12:30:00.005+01:00

Hey there. It's been a while since my last post, hasn't it? Well, my laptop's still in the process of being fixed and restored. It has a new motherboard and the OS will be reinstalled soon, hopefully this week. Furthermore I was given a spare laptop (so I don't have to borrow one), which I will install today, and hopefully it can run a few games including Baldur's Gate II and DDO.

Other than that, I've been struck by the flu and an allergy directly after that. My ribs are bruised from coughing, and it'll take a while to recover fully. Naturally my mind hasn't been in mod-mode, or even BG2 mode. Even if it was, I had no suitable platform to run BG2. It works, but with turned-down settings...kind of a disappointment. Still, I enjoyed a few mods in a small playthrough, but I haven't touched it for a while now.

But I'm still around, and Volcano Productions isn't dead, despite the lack of activity. It may appear dead, but that's only because I'm virtually the only poster now, and there isn't frequent news to report.

I'll see what I can do in terms of modding. Perhaps write some. I haven't started on the story yet, due to being ill and thus unable to attend a writing class where I would begin to write it. I also have an idea for a story based on Final Fantasy X. And the band, well...it's on hold until further notice. The guy who contacted me found two others, but he doesn't like them or their attitude, so maybe he'll kick them out and recruit me. It's his decision, really.

Two bass solo archive DVD's released

2011-01-19T20:36:00.002+01:00

I've released two bass solo archive DVD's independently.

The first DVD has 2 discs, 8:20 mins and 15:04 mins long. The second DVD has 1 disc, 18:23 mins long. All of them feature various experimental bass solo music.

Computer broken

2011-01-19T20:24:00.004+01:00

My computer's on the fritz, so I probably can't invest a lot of time on modding for the time being. The good news is I'm finally going to try sitting down and writing my huge fantasy/furry story. Band activity is still unknown, but if it kicks off, I'll be spending time on that too.

I'm trying to replay Baldur's Gate II with a few mods, just for fun, a little while here and there, when I feel like it. I'll probably have to start over when I get my compy back, but oh well. At least it'll run faster.

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-25T11:52:00.002+01:00

Volcano Productions wishes you a very merry christmas and a happy newyear!

2010 was the year Volcano Productions' creation, originally in february, then officially in april. There were a few refinements, the opening of the forums, the announcement of the upcoming Soul Exchange mod for BG2 and several team members that did some work on it. Wherever they are, thank you and hopefully you'll return at some point. Several back burner projects were also announced. The Volcanic Armoury and Crusader Pack mods got an update, and an entirely new mod named Coondred was released.

I wonder what 2011 will bring for Volcano Productions?

Sixth interview with Aion

2010-12-21T09:41:00.003+01:00

With the snow covering the land and Christmas approaching fast, I decided to interview Aion once more.

Hello! It has been a while! How have you been?

I've been good, thanks. Yeah, it's been a while, hasn't it? July I think. Time does fly.

I read you were away for a while?

Yep, I spend 3 weeks with my wonderful perfect boyfriend at his place. It was so amazing, I can't wait to visit him again, and for him to visit me. -sighs happily- I love him so much.

Great! And you were away again recently?

Just for a few days on a small vacation.

So how has Volcano Productions been?

Quiet. Everyone seems to have disappeared, so it seems like I'm left to do everything myself, at least until either they return, or I get new members signing up. Mod progress has been rather slow, perhaps almost non-existant. I did manage to finish the first version of Coondred just before my trip to my boyfriend, but that's about the last mod-related thing that I did. Well, aside from thinking of ideas and such.

Ah yes, Coondred. Can you tell me a bit more about him?

Coondred is a little guy, a raccoon fur. He's cute, calm, gay, kind and generally a decent ally for your group. He'll ask the PC for intimate times if the PC is male. Perhaps slightly stereotype, but nothing of the truly slutty sort. He could use some expansion, but that's something for later.

What about your other projects?

Not really working on them, really. I did get an offer to join a band, so I'll probably spend some time doing that, as I like that more than modding. Time will tell if that'll work out, though.

So modding is not really priority for you?

As much as I'd like to finish Soul Exhange, no, modding never was priority for me. I've been saying that from the start. I don't really understand those hardcore modders who seem to have no life other than modding and playing BG, IWD, PS:T or NWN. I'm not like that. Besides, it's been 6 and a half years since I first started modding, and with everything I experienced, it's no longer as fun as it used to be.

Theme back to version 1

2010-12-21T09:40:00.001+01:00

I changed the theme back to version 1.

Returned

2010-12-02T11:03:00.002+01:00

I have returned.

Busy week

2010-11-26T11:00:00.001+01:00

Due to a busy week starting today, I will not be spending much time, if any, on Volcano Productions. There's been little to report modding-wise anyway.

Theme update: version 2.0

2010-11-04T10:15:00.001+01:00

I've updated Volcano Production's theme to version 2.0, the old Macabre>>Mods theme, minus the banner. I call this theme "Negativism", inspired by Japanese visual kei band Nega. My avatar is from their PV "Muddy Cult".

Sent out another message for help

2010-11-01T10:07:00.005+01:00

I've sent out another message for people to come and join Volcano Productions forums and possibly the Soul Exchange team as well, seeing how a greater number people present will be able to help out in various ways, if only by just posting as a fan/appreciator. The messages are posted at Gibberlings 3, RPG Dungeon, and Petals & Thorns, as well as on Volcano Productions.

See the full post here.

-yawns-

2010-10-29T08:29:00.003+02:00

Slow morning, but I'm happy. -yawns and stretches- Perhaps slightly disappointed that Volcano Productions seems to have died out, its few members not posting either anymore or at all. Then again, the modding scene itself seems to be dying out. There's not much mod activity anywhere, and people are so spiteful towards each other. I'm not surprised many people are indeed calling it quits, or choose not to get involved with the community and simply download and play mods.

Personally I haven't played mods for a long time, or actually did a decent playthrough of BG2 aside from doing modding-related things in game. The last related thing I played was BG1 Tutu with BG1 NPC Project and a few NPC's.

Honestly, after releasing Coondred I have not been feeling like modding at all. I had the most wonderful time with my boyfriend during my stay there with him, and even after returning modding isn't even anywhere near something I'd like to do. The fact the forum visitors, members and Soul Exchange Team seem to have disappeared is also not very encouraging.

Perhaps the motivation will come back at some point. It may or or may not. Only time will tell. -yawns softly- I'm not cancelling or deleting anything, and I'm not disappearing from the modding scene. Let's just say that Volcano Productions as a whole is on the back burner for now...being kept warm, but not cooking.

Aion out.

Guess what? I'm back.

2010-10-16T14:59:00.002+02:00

I have returned from my vacation, and I have time for Volcano Productions and modding again. So come and visit the forums and interact!

Kicked out of band

2010-10-12T16:15:00.002+02:00

During my time off, I just received word that the band I recently joined and had only 1 rehearsal with so far, has decided to kick me out due to me being "too old". This leaves me with no band, and probably no opportunity to join one anytime soon either. Figures, doesn't it?

Away

2010-09-20T08:56:00.001+02:00

I'll be unable to spend much time, if any, on modding and Volcano Productions for a while due to RL plans. Fear not, I'll return eventually.

Coondred

2010-09-17T13:00:00.002+02:00

Coondred is an NPC mod for Baldur's Gate II. Features a male raccoon fur LN totemic druid, with full voicing, PID, and other dialogue.

Find him on the forums:

Clickyclick

Joined new band

2010-09-17T12:56:00.001+02:00

I've been invited to join a band as their bassist. First meeting happens in a few days. Wish me luck. =)

InvisionFree server maintenance

2010-09-08T09:15:00.003+02:00

Volcano Productions forums are currently down due to InvisionFree server maintenance. It should be back within a few hours.

Apologies for the trouble.

Coondred version 1.0 released!

2010-09-05T20:40:00.002+02:00

Coondred is an NPC mod for Baldur's Gate II. It features a male raccoon fur LN totemic druid. Features original voicing, dialogue, PID, and more.

You can find him at the forums.

Volcanic Armoury version 1.4 released

2010-08-26T12:00:00.001+02:00

Yesterday I updated Volcanic Armoury to version 1.2, adding 3 new items. Several hours after releasing it, I realized the item prices and lore values were off, so I fixed them, and released it in version 1.3.

Today I discovered an oversight in the item description of Hivemurderer. I've fixed it in version 1.4, which is now available.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Mirroring patch/fix files

2010-08-14T18:52:00.001+02:00

Volcano Productions now mirrors the required patch and fix files needed for playing my mods. You can find them at this forum section.

Seeking Soul Exchange writers

2010-08-03T12:34:00.001+02:00

I'm recruiting writers for the Soul Exchange mod. I would have no problem finishing all dialogue myself, although obviously it will go much faster if more people would work on it.

If you would like to apply for the Soul Exchange team, please register on the forum and respond in the topic made for the recruitment purpose, and add some information such as writing experience, Baldur's Gate II experience, how much time you can spare... that kind of stuff. When recruited, you will gain access to the Soul Exchange Workroom on the forums, where you will be able to privately discuss the writing and the mod with me and other team members, as well as post your writings for reviewing. Since the characters are of my creation, I know them best. I can give pointers and tips where needed, and I welcome new suggestions and ideas for dialogue. Though ultimately, only I will decide what ends up in the final product. Please don't be discouraged or offended if I suggest to alter the dialogue you've written. I'm sure we can make some compromise. After all, it's all discussable. =) I would be happy to assist you in writing your mod, if you have one, as well.

Writing will first focus on the 18 standard mod NPC's. One can write and plan for Expansion Pack NPC's, but these will be released after the standard mod has been released. The following types of writing are available:

-Banters
-Interjections
-Romances
-Player-Initiated Dialogue (like Dragon Age and Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic)
-Flirts (Player-Initiated and started by the NPC)
-Scenery Dialogue (NPC's speak up when entering a certain area, when you pick up a certain item, etc)
-Character Sounds (Selection, Action, Becoming Leader, etc)
-Biographies
-Character Quests

Soul Exchange does not require writing for Crossmod material.

I realize some people may be reluctant to sign up because of the sudden project stop last time. I can assure you there will not be a repeat of that. The project, blog and forum will remain up and alive, so you can sign up without worrying about it.

If you're interested, please visit the Volcano Productions forum. I hope to hear from you.

Kind regards,
Aion

Added an old favourite to the back burner

2010-07-21T11:46:00.002+02:00

Does anyone remember Lockheart, the sweet cute lesbian bard/vocalist? The one that I had planned since 2004, then again in 2008? Well, she's back. I've added her to the Back Burner projects. =)

Fifth interview with Aion

2010-07-15T08:54:00.002+02:00

Things have changed here! What on earth happened?

I wanted to make Volcano Productions more effective. Even I was getting a little confused about what the forums and the blog was for. So I decided to move all mod development and discussion to the forums, and keep the blog as the "website" with news, interviews, diary posts and so forth.

It looks good! How is mod development going?

I worked some more on Soul Exchange, finishing some background stories. Feedback and forum members are minimal, I know...but maybe that'll come later. It doesn't matter much, really. I kind of counted on having to do everything myself anyway.

Your vacation should be starting soon?

It's been delayed until at least september due to circumstances.

Summer cleaning!

2010-07-09T14:12:00.004+02:00

Hello! As you may have noticed, many of the posts are gone. I'm currently holding a big summer cleaning session to make Volcano Productions a more effective website and forum.

First of all, all development updates and discussion of mods have been moved to the forums. This way, the information is no longer displayed double on both the blog and the forum, the forums aren't mere placeholders anymore, and it makes discussion of the mods a lot easier.

I have changed the discussion section of Volcano Productions mods into an RPG Discussion section, because the mods here can now be discussed in their own sections. This also means a change of name for the Other Mods Discussion into IE Mod Discussion. New is the arrival of the Mod Ideas section, where you can share your ideas with the world. Forum-related news as well as mod-related news will be posted on the forums also.

Secondly, the blog will be used to post diary entries, interviews, modding news, blog news and the like. It will also contain a small description of the mods released and in development, with a link to the forums. Lastly, it will have a single post where all the latest download links of all mods are listed.

Miscellaneous Mods

2010-07-09T14:06:00.005+02:00

The miscellaneous mods are basically mods I have created between 2004-2009. Some will be remade, others updated, others will be untouched.

The misc mods can be found on the forums:

Clickyclick

Crusader Pack

2010-07-09T14:04:00.004+02:00

Crusader Pack is a mod originally created by Raumoheru, updated by Aion. It contains three kits and three items.

It has been released and can be found on the forums:

Clickyclick

Volcanic Armoury

2010-07-09T14:03:00.004+02:00

Volcanic Armoury is an item mod for Baldur's Gate II. ToB is required. It adds various defensive, practical and offensive items to various stores in the game.

It has been released and can be found on the forums:

Clickyclick

Downloads

2010-07-09T13:51:00.017+02:00

Download links of all Volcano Productions mods can be found here, as well as in the respective forums.

Coondred version 1.0

Crusader Pack version 4.2

Volcanic Armoury version 1.4

Wikaede (One-Day NPC) version 3.4

Kari (Half-Kobold NPC) version 1.3 beta

I advise against using Wikaede and Kari. It's best to wait for the remakes to be released.

Below are the patch/fix mirrors needed to play my mods.

Latest BG2 ToB Patch

Latest Baldurdash ToB Fixpack

Latest Baldurdash ToB Game Text Update

Back Burner Projects

2010-07-09T13:48:00.004+02:00

Back Burner projects are mods that are currently actively being developed, but have a low priority.

You can find them all at the forums:

Clickyclick

Soul Exchange

2010-07-09T13:45:00.005+02:00

Soul Exchange is a massive NPC project for Baldur's Gate II. Its aim is to replace the Bioware NPC's with an entirely new cast of characters. Features brandnew dialogue, romances, voicing, NPC-related quests, and an Expansion Pack featuring additional romances and NPC's, animal companions and more.

The whole project is in active development and can be found at the forums:

Clickyclick

Fourth Interview with Aion

2010-06-30T11:24:00.005+02:00

Hello Aion! You look tired. Are you alright?

Yeah I'm doing great. Just a little more tired than usual thanks to the summer temperatures. But no worries.

I saw your post about you being busy in July. Would you mind explaining it a little?

I'm going to spend 11 days with my wonderful boyfriend. It'll be the best vacation ever.

Congratulations! I am glad to hear you are in love and doing well. About modding...things have been quiet here?

I'm doing great, thanks.
Yeah, it's been a bit quiet on Volcano Productions, even with the new discussion sections on the forums. It'll take a while before more people decide to interact. I've added two new NPC's to the Soul Exchange Expansion Pack, and I've added a new furry NPC to the back burner. That's basically it.

No Soul Exchange progress?

Slow progress as always. I can't work on mods every day, or even every week. I work when I feel like it.

The new furry character, why did you want to make it?

I like those type of characters. Kari was just the beginning. Nicholas will add several things: 1) a cute happy cheerful young male, 2) a furry, 3) homosexual theme and content. All of those are lacking in Baldur's Gate II, so I wanted to add it. Originally I was going to add my own furry character, a skunk, to the game, but I decided to make a new one just for the game.

It looks good, albeit different. You really are breaking taboos. Is that something you strive for?

-shakes head- I don't do it for the sake of breaking taboos. I'm trying to add new content according to my interests (homosexuality, furries, visual kei, etc), which happen to be rather new/rare to the Baldur's Gate II game world.

Well, that is always good. This was the end of the interview. You have picture from you for me please?

Er...I'll send one soon, I guess.

Good, very nice. I have picture from me for you.

Ahhh that's nice. Let me take a look.... o.o ....that's not you.

Hehehe... -removes wig, glasses and false teeth-

Aaaahahaha! You got me there! ^^ You are good.

A cookie for the first one to get the reference.

Less modding activity

2010-06-24T11:49:00.002+02:00

I'll have less time to spend on modding throughout part of July due to enjoying my time in a different way, away from the computer. Chances are there will be very few updates during that time.

Third interview with Aion

2010-05-25T13:29:00.002+02:00

Things have been relatively quiet on Volcano Productions, so I thought it was time to ask Aion what's up.

Hello Aion! How are you doing today?

I'm quite well, thank you. I'm living my happiest days with my wonderful boyfriend, so I'm feeling very happy and very lucky indeed.

Congratulations! Is that why your modding activity has been minimal?

Yeah, partly. The other part is that currently I'm not feeling like writing much. Could be writer's block. I'm not sure. I tend to get like that after finishing a batch of text. But it's true, I'd rather spend time with my boyfriend than work on a silly ol' mod. Who knows, he might end up helping me in a while, seeing he likes Baldur's Gate as well.

I see you have removed the 108 Stars Project and Nivahley the Red Dragon Disciple?

Yeah, they're fun projects, but they don't have priority right now. I have 4 mods on the backburner, which I think is enough.

You have released Kari and Crusader Pack anew. Why?

Kari's like Wikaede, just showing my support for the mod is active again, even though I don't recommend using the old versions. I'd wait for the renewed versions.

Crusader Pack is not going to be remade, so I just updated it and offered it up for download. I do think it's safe to use Crusader Pack, as well as Volcanic Armoury.

How is Soul Exchange coming along?

Still tweaking, writing dialogue, updating the Expansion Pack a bit. As always, progress is slow, but it's there.

There was concern about the voicing of the mod?

Apparently. I'm not exactly offended, nor wishing to start an argument. I just ask that people don't judge about stuff they have no knowledge of...in this case my vocal range, as I've never shown the modding community everything I'm capable of. Anyway, no harm done. Both me and the other person have had our say, and that's that. -smiles-

Do you think people are looking forward to Soul Exchange?

I know some are, yeah. That number might increase once more mods are released over here. I also think that not many people have found their way over here, since I'm no longer part of the bigger mod sites. But in all honesty, the popularity of my project isn't that important. I mean, encouragement is nice and wanted, but modders should mainly mod for themselves, which is what I'm doing.

What is your opinion on other modding sites?

Hmm... well, I know they're no place for me to hang out at. Chosen of Mystra banned me based on an old grudge they have against me that goes years back. Spellhold Studios did the same. Blackwyrm Lair now requires members to pay, which I will certainly not do. PPG doesn't approve my registration, TeamBG is offline, RPGDungeon is nearly dead/inactive, Blacksheep Mods has basically perished...I wouldn't consider them a modding community anymore. G3 doesn't seem to have anything against me, but I just have little to post there, so I won't be causing any trouble for anyone to worry about.

What is your opinion about community members?

What do you mean?

Well, are there any members you particularly like or dislike?

I don't think that's a question I'd want to answer. I'm sure there's plenty of likeable people in the community, and maybe I'll meet them and stay in touch with them at some point. Or maybe I've met some of them already. =) As for the people I dislike, I don't feel like going into that. Old wounds are all patched up and healed, and as far as I'm concerned, I'm a different person now than I was back then as Moongaze. Like I said before, if people want to keep a grudge from way back when, that's fine with me. I'm over it. -smiles-

Good attitude! Are there any new plans for Volcano Productions? Like what happened to the character interviews?

I'm still thinking on that. Text-only might be easier, though voicing them could be fun. It's just that some voices, like Pavorn's, are not easy to keep up for an extended period of time.

Other than that, there's no plans yet. Maybe at some point something will come to mind. If that happens, I'll update the blog.

That sounds good! Thank you for this short but nice interview. Do you have anything to add as final words?

Yeah. Good things come to those who wait. Trust me.

Guitarless Demo 2008 released

2010-05-24T11:43:00.002+02:00

I spend yesterday mixing the guitarless demo of my old band, recorded back in 2008. It's not a professional recording, nor professionally mixed, but I like having it anyway. Now it's available for the public, just like the live DVD of my current band that I released back in March.

Birthday

2010-05-21T07:53:00.000+02:00

It's my birthday today. Yay!

Together

2010-05-15T11:18:00.002+02:00

I've found the man of my dreams, and we're very happy together. ^____^
The time I spend on modding might decrease, but not to worry. I won't quit modding altogether.

Voice comment

2010-05-11T11:22:00.004+02:00

Although I will not go into a discussion about the recent chatbox comment regarding my voice, I will explain something.

Apparently there was concern about my voicing of "many" characters, that my vocal range would be "limited" so all characters sound alike. I realize it's not meant as an insult, however I don't think this person, or anyone that doesn't know my voice, has any right to call my vocal range limited.

Perhaps the characters I voice will sound slightly alike. It's possible you'll recognize it's me. I'm not a professional voice actor, nor a singer. However, I'm not simply limited to the voices of Wikaede and my voicing of Kesevar in the Saerileth mod. Yes, those voices are alike, even though Kesevar has an echo effect. Is that the only voice I can do? Hell no.

Besides, so what if the voices sound alike? Nobody complains that Yasraena and Saerileth are both voiced by Sillara of Tamari, and that later on they upped the pitch of Saerileth's voice slightly. They still sound very much alike.

I have a set of voices that I will use for my characters. I carefully selected them so that every character has a different sounding voice. The rest will have to be voiced by others. To compromise, I have decided I will not voice Ivlish. I will, however, use different approaches for Stormgarde, Torquon, Pavorn, Gregor, and Chiron. If people don't like it, I guess they will just have to turn their sound off or something.

As I said at the start, I don't wish to have a discussion, so please don't retaliate. I mean no offense myself, either.

Plans to split band into two

2010-05-09T08:18:00.002+02:00

Due to lacking qualities of our female vocalist, and the band members wanting to go into different musical directions, there are plans to split my band into two. The three older members in one band, me in the other...depends on how many people we can find. My new band will likely go into a heavier direction, something to do with metal, whilst the old geezers will play 60's blues and jazz. The vocalist, eh, she'll have to continue singing lessons for the next few years.

Music collection

2010-04-27T09:56:00.003+02:00

I've made a second blog for my music collection. It used to be on Blogspot, then moved it to LiveJournal. Now it's back on Blogspot, as I prefer this service.

http://fortune-music-collection.blogspot.com

A diary post

2010-04-26T14:48:00.003+02:00

I'm sleepy...waking up at 5:30 AM will do that. I had a dentist appointment early...they pulled a wisdom tooth. Wasn't all that bad. -yawns softly- I'm also single again since last friday... I now have more time for my hobbies, such as music and modding. I also received an Xbox 360 as gift with Final Fantasy 13...and I bought two additional RPG's ("Tales of Vesperia", and "Star Ocean 4 Last Hope"). Should be neat.

Second interview with Aion

2010-04-09T17:44:00.008+02:00

Hello again, Aion! Would you tell us some more about recent developments at Volcano Productions?

Of course. What would you like me to talk about first?

Let's start with the new mods you've added. Aerie Relationship?

The idea for Aerie Relationship came to me several years ago. It was partially inspired by the now-dead Viconia Relationship mod at G3. That mod added a friendship and a lesbian romance for Viconia. I've always liked Aerie, I prefer her romance over other Bioware romances, and I think Aerie doesn't get enough positive attention. That's when I decided I wanted to create an Aerie mod that would add more content to her.

It offers a friendship path and a lesbian romance. Aerie isn't really bisexual, is she?

Probably not. That's where creative license comes into practice. There's all kind of fan material that makes certain characters have alternative relationships, often adding a gay, lesbian or bisexual theme. If it's tastefully written, I don't see why someone like Aerie can't be in a relationship with a woman.

Do you think your version will be tastefully written?

I think so, yes. However, I doubt this mod will suddenly make people go from hating Aerie to loving Aerie. She will still be herself, although the player gets to experience other sides of her, and see it from a different angle.

So how do you plan on making Aerie love a woman? Will she be eager to romance the female PC?

Not really. In this romance, the eligible female PC knows she likes Aerie, and is willing to work hard to win Aerie's heart. It will be worth the effort. Although it's been suggested that I re-use the male romance dialogue, I will write the whole female romance and friendship anew.

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What about the 108 Stars Project? Is it a big project like Soul Exchange?

Post-update: The 108 Stars Project has been removed for now.

No no, not at all. It's more of a collective name of NPC mods based on characters from the Suikoden series. Lots of characters are suitable. We'll see where it goes. The first in the series will be Oulan, the feminist martial artist bodyguard.

She sounds like a tough lady!

She's cool. One of my favourite playable characters from Suikoden II. Since she isn't a story character, information on her is limited. Means lots of creative writing. Although she's pro-women, I don't want to make her that typical "anti-male" kind of girl. She doesn't seem anti-male in Suikoden II either. Is she lesbian? Possibly. I don't know. I haven't thought much about it.

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I see you have started to support some of your old mods again. How did that come to be?

I was browsing mod sites to find some downloads and I stumbled across IEGMC. It still stores a lot of mods, some new, some horribly outdated. My folder was still active, and has the old 2004-2006 versions of my mods. Wikaede, Kari, Selune Armoury, and my version of Crusader Pack.

You have released Volcanic Armoury recently. Could you tell us about it?

Volcanic Armoury is the new name of Selune Armoury. Selune Armoury came from Selune, who is the goddess of moon, moon leads to Moongaze...you know. A name change was in order, so I named it after Volcano Productions. It started out as a practical item mod that would add defensive items only, but now it will include any item I feel like including. I have some nice ideas. It's a small and easy mod to update. It's really nice.

What is the story behind Wikaede Revisited?

Wikaede started out as my first mod, a basic character that would teach me to code. It would also be a cleric mod NPC, and there aren't many cleric mods out there. I don't know why. Clerics are my favourite class.

Progress on the original version stopped after version 3.4. Later I decided to revive it as Wikaede Revisited, to make a better version of it, since the old version is lacking. I advise against using the old version 3.4.

The idea of Wikaede Revisited dates from late 2005/early 2006, and it actually saw a bit of progress in 2008, but this time it'll be a little different. I'm using a different portrait, and I'll revoice him, too.

Why did you put it up for download if you advise against using it?

It's still my mod, and it's my way of showing I support it again. It's better than letting it rot on an IEGMC server. Besides, now I can update/upload whenever I feel like it, and don't have to depend on third parties like IEGMC, Dragon's Hoard, or other sites.

Is there a chance we will see Kari back again?

Quite possibly so, but it will be different. Kari was originally a half-kobold. Kobolds in BG2 are little demon-rat-like critters, not lizards like in NWN or DDO (Dungeons & Dragons Online). I wrote her and coded up the first version, then basically handed the mod over to Tameon The Dragoon. He continued, making it his own version of a half-kobold girl...with a really sexy portrait, if I remember correctly. I do recall him mentioning to me that the mod was near total completion, but he lost everything in a harddrive crash. Since then, Kari was dead.

Reading the original version's dialogue, I can see where I was going before the whole kobold thing. Actually, the kobold thing was the closest thing I could consider to make things possible in the game world. You know, Kari was actually meant to be an anthro wolf girl. A what? An anthro or a furry. Animal people that walk, think, talk and act like humans...though usually retaining some animal traits, like purring, grooming, etc. Think of characters like Bugs Bunny, Pepe Le Pew, the big bad wolf from Little Red Riding Hood, characters from Disney's Robin Hood... and you're close. I wouldn't say The Lion King, Watership Down or some such, since technically those characters belong to the "feral" furs (basically animals that talk and think like humans, but aren't walking around on two legs like people). It can all be as cartoony or as "realistic" as possible as you desire. I know, I suck at explaining this sort of thing to people who don't have a love for these kind of things.

The new version of Kari will make her an anthro wolf, as she was originally intended. She might not even be the only animal person I'll make, either.

Interesting, and unlike anything that's been done in modding so far. You really enjoy thinking outside the box, don't you?

What can I say? I'm a creative person with lots of ideas. I don't see why everything mod-related has to completely fit perfectly with the rest. Usually the unusual things are more of a joke, sadly. Think Mary Sue, the cockney Bruces, Matt Damon NPC...

Mine are no jokes, though.

There's one old mod left, and that's Crusader Pack. What's the deal with that?

An old mod with a few kits and a few items. I mainly updated it because I disliked the author said you had to CLUAConsole the items in. I simply added them to a few stores for a high price. The kits have a few bugs in them, which I can't really fix at the moment, so support for that mod will have to wait.

How is Soul Exchange coming along?

The pieces are slowly falling into place. I've added some more Expansion Pack content, added subraces, wrote stuff, you know. Progress isn't fast, but it's there.

That's good! Volcano Productions has changed a little, with a chatbox being added. I also see there is a new forum?

Yes, well spotted. First I was going to do a forum only, but then I decided to close it and use a much more friendly blog instead. Then I started thinking and I wanted people to be able to effectively post bugs and errors, along with discussion and more. So I restarted the board, this time making it for released mods and workrooms only. Players can get support for released mods there, and they can also download the mods at the forums. The workrooms are mainly for when more people join me to assist me in the creation of a mod.

Anything you'd like to say before I end the interview?

At the moment, not really. I'm too sleepy, hehe. But I'll try.
Keep checking Volcano Productions. It'll be worth it.

Thank you! We'll see you next time!

New band DVD feat. Aion released

2010-04-02T11:26:00.005+02:00

Update, a band I play in, performed at a local festival on March 7th 2010. The concert was filmed and has now been released on DVD, called "On The Rise". We are currently rehearsing new songs and shuffling our setlist, and are planning another gig this summer.

Chatbox opened

2010-04-02T10:54:00.003+02:00

I've opened a chatbox on Volcano Productions for a more direct kind of communication with me and other visitors.

Please do not post rude/harsh things, spam, modding community issues, or other offensive material. It's really not that hard to be nice. =) Bad posts shall be removed without warning or simply ignored, so it's kind of pointless to go against the rules.

Blackwyrm Lair: Fools, then

2010-04-02T08:06:00.005+02:00

Apparently BWL really is serious about keeping the majority of the forums inaccessible by non-paying members. "Only $6 for a year! It's not a big deal. Gamers spend a lot more money on entertainment anyway.", he says. Sure, the amount is minimal enough. That won't be a problem for most. It's the whole concept of paying for access to forum sections, kind of -forcing- people to "donate". It's rediculous. Most websites and forums are completely free and unrestricted (by monetary means anyway), and donation is -optional-. It's funny that they can all keep on existing, and BWL has to resort to forced payment. Plus, you can't really compare buying a new videogame to paying for fan-made mod forum access, especially with other bigger sites/forums still being free.

I wonder how it'll be received. As I said, there will probably be some fanatical visitors that'll donate rediculous amounts ($150? Puh-lease..), but I think the majority of the casual visitors won't care much to pay for viewing and posting rights. Downloads are free, other sites have news too, and one can always talk to people on other boards, through e-mail and instant messenger. In other words, little reason to stick around. That's just how people are with the internet nowadays. They take what they can take for free, and they only pay for stuff they're -really- passionate about and what they absolutely -can't- get for free. I somehow doubt that many visitors would feel quite that passionate about BWL. It's not, like, their most favourite thing/hobby in the world.

I'm kind of glad I bailed out of having my mods hosted there. I'll bet I'd be forced to pay. Maybe my mod forum(s) would have remained open, but it's kind of necessary to access the other sections if you're hosted there. In any case, Baronius wasn't really fair in the end, and he's gone mad.

Even if BWL does get enough donations and are able to continue existing, they remain fools, along with the people foolish enough to pay for it. That is all.

Supporters

2010-03-31T17:35:00.002+02:00

I am thankful for having at least two supporters who have e-mailed me with encouraging words, suggestions and help. Things like this make me a happy modder and motivate me. =) Like I said earlier, encouragement and help are always welcome.

Thank you again. I appreciate it.

Also, don't stress if I don't reply to your e-mail right away. I don't check the seperate modding e-mail addy every day. But I will answer when I check!

Blackwyrm Lair: April fools, or just fools?

2010-03-31T16:46:00.005+02:00

Another year creeps by, and you'd almost forget the 1st of April and its prank-filled nature. It indeed slipped my mind, until I was effectively reminded of it by another site I frequent. It's a free site with music news and reviews, where they posted a news item saying they were going to make the site a paid site due to server costs.

In that light, it's very likely Blackwyrm Lair is indeed pulling an April fool's joke on the community. Admins and webmasters have such power, of course. They even effectively disabled all "general content" and popular forums (such as Improved Anvil, Tortured Souls), so none can post in the right section about this.

All that effort to distress visitors in one way or another, just so they can chuckle at the "stupidity" of any visitor, myself included. I can take a joke, but things like this just aren't funny for anyone that's caught unaware.

However, since one can't be sure until after 1 April, one always has to take into consideration that BWL's plans of making it a paid site could be real, if at an ill-chosen time. If it proves to be truthful, that they indeed require visitors to pay in order to be able to view and post in many forums, then I'll stop visiting that site, and I'm sure I won't be the only one.

It seemed like an idiotic illogical idea in any case. Why would anyone pay for support forums for free fan-made mods, while the downloads remain free? "Got a bug to report? Want to encourage a modder? Pay a minimum of $6 to a maximum of $150 to do that." Perhaps a few fanatic visitors would do so, but many people would simply leave the site. BWL has lower traffic than a site like G3, SHS or PPG already. Many sites ask for donations, but none are restricted.

Say it is an April fool's joke... I wonder what they do with any donations they've gotten so far, if they even got any. Somehow I doubt BWL is going to refund all donations on PayPal. They'll probably pocket it and say "Thanks for supporting BWL!", even though it was just a prank.

In any case, I wash my hands on the whole matter. Sure, I said I wasn't going to mingle in mod revelry anymore, and I'm not. I just have an opinion on stuff like this, which affects even guests who do not interact with other community members, like myself.

Interview with Aion, Soul Exchange author

2010-03-18T13:34:00.011+01:00

Hello Aion. Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions!

You're welcome. I'm ready.

Give yourself a quick introduction for those that don't know you.

Hello, I'm Aion or St. Aion, a modder that came out of retirement in order to finish a mod before going back into retirement.

Retirement, you say? Have you been modding lots?

I used to, yeah. I started back in mid-2004, june or something, and I stopped in March/April 2006. I rejoined in January 2008, and left in December 2008. I rejoined again in February 2010.

What made you leave those two times?

Community issues, mostly. Both times it was fine at the start, then people continued being aggravating, and I'm always the only one who defends myself and others. That causes people to get angry and blame me for everything, which results in my motivation vanishing, and I drop the projects I'm working on.

So, what's different this time?

The difference is that I'm not getting involved with mod politics or community revelry anymore, and I'm simply going to ignore any dickhead or bitch that attempts to disrupt my fun. That is also why I changed my name. It's a new start.

Oh yeah, your name change. Weren't you Moongaze once?

Yeah. I no longer associate myself with that name. It carries a negative stigma. Besides, there's another modder in the Neverwinter Nights community who calls himself Moongaze. Poor guy. I'm not him, though. I don't mod NWN.

Isn't that like running away from your problems? Why not own it and take responsibility for your own actions?

I have taken responsibility for my own actions, and it was a pointless thing to do. People do not forgive. They choose to continue hating me, and that's fine.

I've moved on beyond that meaningless fighting, and I'm starting over in a good way. That doesn't mean I forgive certain community members or that I suddenly am fond of the modding community. It means I'm not going to fight anymore.

I also don't really care whether or not the community has any faith in me or not. Others do, and that's what matters.

So can I ask what happened between you and those community members?

You can ask, but I don't feel like discussing it. Like I said, if they want to hold a grudge against me, so be it. It's behind me in any case.

I see. Well, let's discuss your current project, shall we? Soul Exchange. Why such a massive mod?

Because it will only work as a massive mod. The whole idea is to disable the Bioware NPCs' ability to join the party, and adding a completely new cast of characters of my choosing. I could add 5 characters so one has a full party, but I wanted to give people a lot of choices. I also wanted to be more fair than Bioware when it comes to playable races, classes, romances, alignments and the like.

Do you have any favourite characters?

Not yet. But ask me when I've written more dialogue, and I'll be able to choose some. I'm sure most people will like and hate at least one character. They're quite a varied bunch.

I see the mod has 6 romances. Why did you choose to do so many?

Again, to make things more fair towards players. 3 romances for boys, 3 romances for girls, divided between good and evil, and including a good-aligned gay romance and a neutral-aligned lesbian romance.

Bioware only had 4, and 3 were for males...mainly good-aligned males. Females only had Anomen.

Homosexual romances? Isn't that strange for a medieval fantasy setting?

Perhaps, but why not? There's no reason why there shouldn't be any homosexuality in a game. I'm a big supporter of it, actually. Besides, to add some realism to the medieval fantasy setting, Chiron will struggle with his faith and his feelings. Laylan is more open about it, though unlike the Chloe mod, I'm not letting her rant about how lesbian she really is in every sentence. That made Chloe seem like she's unsure about her feelings for women and constantly needs to assure the world, and most of all herself, that she likes girls.

What's the inspiration behind your NPC's?

Most of them were created on the spot. I picked a class/alignment, a portrait, then I started naming them and thinking more about their personalities, background stories and their role in the game..you know, how they would fit into the game world. That way, there's something for every kind of adventuring party.

Though there are some that were based on existing characters. Laylan is based on Kika from Suikoden IV, while Matthias is based on Adray from Star Ocean 3: 'Till The End Of Time. I've given them enough own things so they're not exactly alike.

The rest is pretty much original.

What's your stance on mod standards for NPC's, like flirtpacks and friendships?

I'm happy they invented the flirtpack system, and I'll include it at some point. Friendships are very nice idea, and they've gotten more popular. It makes sense. NPC's have something to say to the protagonist, too. It's unfair that only romance characters get all the protagonist's attention. So yes, I'll include a couple of friendships too. Depends on the NPC... I mean, a guy like Matthias would love to the the PC's friend, but someone like Torquon has no interest in friends.

Are there any other things you'd like to include in your mod?

Some character-related quests would be nice, maybe with some new items. As final step I'd like all my characters voiced, too. I already added some nice new colours for the paperdolls. They look really great now. And of course the Expansion Pack after the standard mod has been perfected and released.

Kits are not my forte, so I probably won't include any.

Do you have any favourite mods created by others?

I'm not really busy playing mods anymore. I'm just making my own.

How much priority does modding have for you?

Barely any. It's like... I do want to finish a project some day, but there's so many things in life that are far more important than modding. Modding is like, at the bottom of priority for me. I can easily drop it at any time.

Any last words for the readers?

Progress nagging and encouragement is welcome. I hope you'll like what I've made.

Thank you for your time, and good luck!

Thanks.

Creation of this journal

2010-03-16T09:50:00.006+01:00

Hello there! Aion here, with the latest updates on Volcano Productions. I decided to get rid of the forum, and make a developer journal instead, as it requires far less work to actually manage. Sorry to all who wanted to visit my forum and found it had disappeared. It took me a few weeks, but I'm back. =)