5 réponses à ce sujet

[Axe_Edge]

Hi.  My understanding is players logging onto a server can only choose PCs they rolled.  Is it possible to enable players logging onto a server for the first time (or subsequent times) to be able to play as a PC pre-rolled and stored in the server vault? 

The ADL made logging playing multiplayer much, much easier (thank you GF).  Seems like the next barrier for new players who would like to try playing multiplayer is rolling up a PC, especially a PC that is reasonable.  Perhaps, new multiplayers would be up for being given a PC and jump right to the fun ( much like at Gen Con).  It's a one time (possibly more?), quick game for fun.

One example:  A DM offers to run a one time game (let's say a game for NWCon).  The DM pre-rolls several basic classes (maybe with a splash of a prestige class), and outfits them with appropriate gear for the level of the Module.  The DM lists the game at neverwinterconnections.com, describes the module setting, and lists the possible characters.  When players sign up or just contact the DM, they just pick a PC.

It appears I'm not choosing the correct words to find the answer in a search.

Thanks in advance

[SkywingvL]

You'd need some custom work with NWNX4 to make this happen. The built-in plugins are probably enough to get you there; you could have template bics that xp_spawn copies over to the servervault directory for the player after some sort of menu in-game after the player creates a dummy character.

Not the most elegant, but it'd function.

Editing the name of the template character (if you needed to support that) would be more work as you'd need a tool to modify the GFF. xp_character could be repurposed for that part, or you could allow the player to rename using conventional scripting (or DMFI) once they're in-game with their final character.

[painofdungeoneternal]

A PW admin, if they know the account name of the player, can just drop a bic file into a folder named for that account name inside their servervault folder. The player would then be able to choose it. Or the server can be local vault which works just like a SP game and lets you use those characters.

I don't see creating a character as a barrier here though for a PW, you'd get 20-30 players using the same character, the dm's putting effort into making it noob friendly at the expense of quests and other real help/content which most players seem to care about a lot more. Most PW's are worth being on because the other characters you meet are not cookie cutter. For all the time i've helped people joining a PW, and i've met quite a few folks who required hours and hours of patient help, i've never seen creating the character as a real barrier. It's pretty easy and something done in almost all games, and if it's a big issue i'd suggest hitting that button which auto-selects all the options for you.

Also if a player makes a borked character that can't keep up, well there is a DM, he can give that player a magic item which probably won't make him uber, but it would make his character not completely gimped and still able to have fun, or can offer to relevel them, adjust stats, anything really.

Basically the answer is the game is totally capable of doing what you describe, i've just never seen a PW where the folks running it actually thought that was a good idea for long. The few who were like that in NWN1 were all about which players could come up with the most elite gear in the toolset or via a character editor. The only time this is of use really is when you are doing Co-op play of a single player module with others you actually trust not to cheat.

Modifié par painofdungeoneternal, 18 avril 2011 - 06:16 .

[Axe_Edge]

Thanks for the responses. I'll look into it a bit further.

I agree with the situation for PWs. I think this idea would mainly be applicable for getting a few novice players to "get their feet wet" in multiplayer or to band any type of players together to play a single, quick module run through. A "Johnny Come Lately" who lucked into some available time to play could quickly logon and join the adventure.

A DM could roll up several fighters, thieves (oops, rogues), etc... to choose from. May have to drop a hint that a cleric is needed, have someone logoff, then, logon to change to a different class. Maybe list fighters as duel-wield, strength based, archer, etc.

It's been a couple (or 3) decades since I played "Tomb of Horrors". The first time I played we used our own PCs. I seem to remember there was an option to play the module as a competition with PCs given to you. I'm most likely confusing it with another module or an adaptation of ToH for tournament play.

Anyway, I know you two are very busy and I appreciate your time.

Modifié par Axe_Edge, 18 avril 2011 - 08:10 .

[Axe_Edge]

Hmmm. Maybe have a player logon, create a "dummy PC" (including their own unique name), then, they find themselves in a starting room. The player examines the plaques in front of many statues representing the different PC class options. When they find a class they like, they click a plaque and the statue's experience points/skills/feats/spells/etc... are copied to the players "dummy PC".

Well, most likely not copying a bic over directly.  More like:  add xp to PC, change class, make each stat equal to the template or increase each stat individually, give feats, give spells, drop loot into inventory, etc... until the dummy PC was brought up to speed.

Whew! Some serious coding would be going on.  With the PC types being a known quantity, it would be managable.

*Edit*  Or, use xp_spawn as suggested, which seems to be the good way to go. 

Modifié par Axe_Edge, 18 avril 2011 - 09:09 .

[painofdungeoneternal]

By the time you get to the plaques, you'd already have the character created. Kind of too late at that point since you have a character. I think all you are asking for is, can a dm do this sort of thing, and the answer is yes.

I would be very very surprised, if after ALL that work was done on an automated system like that, if anyone actually ever used those premade characters on a PW. Right now there are systems for "recommended" and "packages" which really speed up character creation, and from what i can see they are almost universally treated with disdain. If you a player uses recommended however, they get most of what you are looking for with just a few more screens to go thru.

I do see the value in a SP game, the author can tailor the lore to the character down to the name and starting character, and thus can make their game even more linear, and the player can know his character will work well in the upcoming story. The issue here is a PW is about the most opposite of a linear rail roaded story you can get.

Now if this was done as part of a big PW which uses applications, or requires talking to a DM prior, or something like that ( you pick it out on a website prior to even playing perhaps ), or customizes the initial UI. But all of this is a much bigger barrier to entry than having to deal with the character creation process. I just don't see the value since there is no way implementing it without some installer being used prior to joining the PW, and remember the autodownloader eliminated all of those issues.

I am sure if you hop onto IRC or these forums, and ask a DM to make a good character for you they would be more than willing if it means a new player. Just dropping the bic into the server vault would allow you to just use it. Very simple, not hard to do, and would also allow the DM to give you some backstory without the issue of every player having the same back story.

If they are using nwconnections for a small lan game, they can ask for your account name prior and which class you'd like to play, and do a premade story based on a given set of characters. I have seen this done by DM's already. Player logs in, selects a character from the vault the DM place there, and they are done. This can easily be done as an event on any PW, lan game, etc, and would require nothing except for the DM to have access to the server.

Modifié par painofdungeoneternal, 18 avril 2011 - 10:59 .