How did you cope with the stress of a release… ? My campaign is basically done and I can’t seem to be able to make the upload. I’m freaking out, although I know there is little people left around to play it.
2 Likes
Just do it! Don’t fret. If it needs a patch, just do that, say why, and release. It’s your creation, but the entire value of your life is not wrapped up in it. Accept praise humbly and criticism with grace. Determine if they are valid and adjust accordingly in equal measure. Nothing that happens here can wreck your life, and whether the reception is good or bad, there is always something to be learned from it.
The people here are generally very positive and easy-going. I don’t think you need to worry. In fact, I can’t think of a better online environment to release a creative work into the this one.
6 Likes
It’s true about the community. I can also only say good words. Last week I finished a test on a stable build and the moment I saw the ending and the words “The End” I nearly broke, lol. I thought… nearly 7 years of work. The End. A surreal feeling. I thought I liked it, and that’s what matters and that I shouldn’t think about what happens after release. But thinking of something and actually doing it are two different things, right 
? Thanks for the thoughts though.
2 Likes
Sounds like you’ve already done the hard part. I find that the seemingly endless testing and bug quashing is the more stressful part of creating one. 
I find it a relief to put version 1.0 out and just tweak relatively minor things after that, if necessary.
Also, if you’re not quite sure about the state of the campaign, you can put it up as a beta and then move to a full release once it’s been tested some more. Some people prefer that route for their projects.
2 Likes
I think the best advice I can give is to accept that it may not be “finished” completely by the time you release it, from the point of view of bug squashing. I speak from experience. 
As someone mentioned above, this is the most stressful time. When you think it’s complete but other problems occur unexpectedly.
There needs to be a level of acceptance of this if you want to keep your sanity. 
(As you may be aware I have currently pulled mine for further testing. However, things will settle down eventually. That’s the plan anyway.)
2 Likes
Lots of good advice so far.
My two cents, this is art not science. No such thing as perfect. Just running it on someone else’s machine with a different configuration than yours could trigger some problem you’d never see in century of testing at home. IMO it’s a beta until it runs successfully on another computer.
Push the button!
yep.
It’s always going to be scary, because you’re afraid people will find some terrible gamebreaking bugs you missed (I managed to release Bedine with the start location in the wrong area!). At least I am that way. But just budget some post release time to fixing up issues that get reported. No matter how many testers you have and how much testing you do, there are inevitably going to be some bugs.
Tldr: yes It’s scary, do it anyway.
3 Likes
I think I cried when I read the Bedine thing. Good stuff
I’ve released 3 modules for NwN so far (sorry not NwN 2 - that toolset scares the bejesus out of me 
). For 2 out of the three I had an online friend playtest for me. Even so I was nervous/excited when I released my first one (“Hrothgar’s Resting Place” if anyone’s interested). Some years and hundreds of downloads later a single typo was reported to me. It is still there because I don’t want to lose my download count and nobody else has noticed it (yet…). So don’t stress too much and if you haven’t done so already ask the nice people on here if they would care to test it for you. I know that was one of the best things I did and their comments spurred me on to add things I would not have done otherwise (the Mercenary Fairy Godmother is one that comes to mind).
Anyway, one thing I’ll guarantee. People will download and play your module. Heck, merely by posting on here about it, you’ve started to generate interest in it.
TR
3 Likes
Perfect is the enemy of good.
2 Likes
First, we will be gentle. This is a good community. I think if there is criticism it will be the constructive sort from people who want your work to be the best it can be.
Second, you are finishing something your poured yourself into over almost seven years. Congratulations. Seriously, congratulations! I kinda want to say it a third time with more exclamation points but I won’t.
Thanks in advance for sharing this thing.
1 Like
We may be “a little people”
but we are mighty…
In Zeal, to play your ~seven years in labor~ adventure offering!
If you build it, and Release it, then we will come & enjoy it.
Some of us don’t comment much, but the appreciation levels are high for all the work that goes into these things; and for the Vault that hosts them & helps us, tho’ we be but “a little people…”
And Congratulations 
for completing a project!!!
(From one who has also worked for seven years on module building, and they still aren’t ready for release, oofda).
It IS worthy to celebrate and push that upload button…!
2 Likes
As you can see now, you released it and the world didn’t end.
True 
. And even if bugs come up they can be fixed, so… nothing crazy happened .
3 Likes