142 réponses à ce sujet

[Friar]

Actually do I need to make this:

endMessageToPC(GetFirstPC(FALSE, "Debug: beginning Dinesh/Mahmoud script");

into this:

endMessageToPC(GetFirstPC(FALSE, "Debug: dinesh_mahmoud_spawn1");

Since the tag of the script is dinesh_mahmoud_spawn1?

Modifié par koundog1, 17 octobre 2013 - 02:25 .

[Friar]

Just noticed something.

When I hit save and compile the "compile results" at the bottom of the toolkit screen read:

dinesh_mahmoud_spawn1.nss (8) : ERROR: UKNOWN STATE IN COMPILER

Anyone seen anything like that before?

The script is:

void main()
{

object oPC = GetEnteringObject();

if (!GetIsPC(oPC)) return;

SendMessageToPC(GetFirstPC(FALSE, "Debug: beginning Dinesh/Mahmoud script");

int nInt;
nInt=GetLocalInt(oPC, "NW_JOURNAL_ENTRYJob: Lookout");

SendMessageToPC(GetFirstPC(FALSE, "Debug: nInt value for journal is " + IntToString(nInt));

if (nInt < 1)
return;

nInt = GetTimeHour();

SendMessageToPC(GetFirstPC(FALSE, "Debug: nInt value for time is " + IntToString(nInt));

if ((nInt > 2) && (nInt < 21))
return;

object oTarget;
object oSpawn;
location lTarget;
oTarget = GetWaypointByTag("SPAWN_Mahmoud");

lTarget = GetLocation(oTarget);

oSpawn = CreateObject(OBJECT_TYPE_CREATURE, "c_mahmoud", lTarget);

oTarget = GetWaypointByTag("SPAWN_Dinesh");

lTarget = GetLocation(oTarget);

oSpawn = CreateObject(OBJECT_TYPE_CREATURE, "c_dinesh", lTarget);

SendMessageToPC(GetFirstPC(FALSE, "Debug: end of script, creatures should have spawned");
}

Modifié par koundog1, 17 octobre 2013 - 01:51 .

[kevL]

(8) in the error message is the line #

- this needs another end bracket:
SendMessageToPC(GetFirstPC(FALSE, "Debug: nInt value for journal is " + IntToString(nInt));

so do the other two SendMessageToPC's...

As to yer earlier question: i think it's a good idea to use the filename or function name in the 1st SendMessage, it helps me anyway. (ie. what if two+ scripts are debugging, so it keeps that straight, but it makes no difference re. successfully running a script)


I notice the filename is 21 (or 17) characters long; not sure, but try cutting it back to 16 or less

Modifié par kevL, 17 octobre 2013 - 02:11 .

[Friar]

Cool thanks KevL!

Now it is stating that line 8

ERROR: DECLARATION DOES NOT MATCH PARAMETERS



BTW: line 8 reads as such:

SendMessageToPC(GetFirstPC(FALSE, "Debug: beginning Dinesh/Mahmoud script"));

Modifié par koundog1, 17 octobre 2013 - 02:42 .

[kevL]

ah, silly us. here's the proper format for a debugmessage

SendMessageToPC(GetFirstPC(FALSE), "debugmessage");

[Friar]

It's cool because I'm clueless. lol!

So I got the debug message to work!
It appears to be an issue with my journal.
I took a closer look and it appears that I put a tag in there that isn't the same name as my Journal entry.
The name of the journal entry is "Job: Lookout"
The tag is "job_lookout"

I have a very excited feeling that the mystery is solved! I'll edit this when I find out!

EDIT:
IT WORKS!!!
Holy sch-nikes, I can actually advance the story. I feel rejuvenated! The script works and it had to do with me changing the tag in the journal and writing the script to look for the name. I think from now on I will make the tag the same as the name. What a pain!

Modifié par koundog1, 17 octobre 2013 - 03:56 .

[kevL]

suggest: don't put spaces in tags ( + they're case sensitive )

good luck Cap'm

[Friar]

Just as a side note before I start this I wanted to mention that the "What does the Fox Say?" song on youtube illustrates just how close we are to the apocalypse. When Don McLean sang Bye bye American Pie he was talking about the day the music died. This song illustrates that.

Moving on to better news. I have a new sticking point!
I have baked one of my areas, but the PC can't move more than five feet from his spawning point.

I don't know if it has anything to do with the height I set the terrain which between maybe -5 to 10 in the walkable region. While around it, in the none operable areas, the height reaches all the way to 100.

Maybe it has something to do with all the placeable "Jail {piece 04}" Iplaced in the area? I made all of those environment objects and then put meshcutters around them to save on memory.

So maybe it has to do with meshcutters?
I didn't put any meshcutters in the wrong places. At least I don't think I did. Not in any place where I wanted the PC to be able to walk, that is.

[Morbane]

make the walkmesh visible - that should tell you what is going on

[Friar]

Okay I had the walkmesh button on already which was confusing me because it all looked fine.

Then I turned the baked button on.
Not so fine.

I noticed about four large areas outlined in white. They were the shape of rectangles and one of the rectangles was in the place where the PC is boxed in while testing.

I try to bake it but its not working. I'll continue baking it again and again but maybe one of you might know whats up.

EDIT: I tried raising and lowering the terrain to see if it might work the same way as giving an air conditioning unit a gentle kick. That didn't seem to work either. Then I considered giving my computer a gentle kick out the window but if I did that I would be able to ask you guys what might be up.

Modifié par koundog1, 23 octobre 2013 - 08:42 .

[Tchos]

That happens for me when I have too many placeables in a square.

[andysks]

What Tchos said. I remember seeing somewhere that a tile can hold 6 placeables, but endless environment objects. I guess you already know that though . Sometimes a tile becomes non walkable to me, when placeables, or the cutter pass from tile to tile and sitting on the borders. Just yesterday I had a tile outlined in white, and it only had one walkmesh cutter in it. I turn nearly all placeables to environment objects and define the walkmesh with the cutter.

[Friar]

Okay that is starting to make sense. I have used a lot of placeables but for the most part I converted them to environment objects. It might be the multitude of jail doors, I'll delete a few of them to check and see. I am making liberal use of the walkmesh cutter.

I might take this area back to the drawing board. Glad I know now about the limitations on objects per tile. Thanks again you guys!

[Dann-J]

There are really only a few types of placeable that you don't want to convert to environmental objects:

- Anything you want the player to interact with (usable/bashable/examinable objects, objects with inventories, etc)
- Anything you want to be able to manipulate via script (turning usability on/off, destroying, etc)
- Anything you want to block line-of-sight with, or don't want the camera to be able to get inside of (buildings or tall walls)
- Anything you want to change the appearance of via a visual effect (making it transparent, making it sparkle, etc)

If something doesn't fall into those categories, then it's better off as an environmental object, with walkmesh cutters or unwalkable terrain set where necessary.

Modifié par DannJ, 24 octobre 2013 - 12:00 .

[Friar]

I'm pretty happy right now with the way this project is going.

I've completed the Prologue and smoothed out it's transition to Act I.
Act I still needs to be tied together and there are a lot of empty blanks in the story, but the character can travel from prologue to Act I and then into Act II. If I can tie all the Acts together then all that will be left is filling in the details. Shouldn't be too hard, right? Famous last words?

Act II gets a little tricky because it is going to be kind of heavy with content. It's where the player is set loose in a free to roam environment, more or less.

Fortunately, Act II has all it's areas in a template form, it has a lot of the dialogue already done; or enough to carry it to the final Act III. Having all the big pieces together is good.

However, I want players to fall in love with this imaginary city as much as I have. The way I have fallen in love with places in other modules is when a creator hides surprises around every corner and sometimes in places I never thought of; or sometimes right out in the wide open. Also, if the protagonist has an emotional attachment to people or places I sort of instinctively empathize with that character.

I think Act III might be the easiest. I know how I want to wrap this adventure up and I know exactly what direction I hope the player will steer their character in to get there. It is my hope that no matter how you felt about your protagonist at the beginning of the adventure you will have bonded with him so much that he sort of becomes a part of you.The story has had some really intense moments for me already while I wrote it. One day I had to just walk away and catch my breathe because writing it actually aroused some of my own fears and experiences. I know you guys wont feel that way though if I don't help you really feel strongly about the character you create.

That said please feel free to explain the little things that make you really like particular characters you have created in the past. If it helps you bond with the protagonist then it should add to your experience, that is if I can logically include it into the adventure.

Modifié par koundog1, 04 novembre 2013 - 08:38 .

[ColorsFade]

koundog1 wrote...

That said please feel free to explain the little things that make you really like particular characters you have created in the past. If it helps you bond with the protagonist then it should add to your experience, that is if I can logically include it into the adventure.

I think it makes a huge difference, to me at least, whether we're talking about a single player or multiplayer game. 

In multiplayer games I became very attached to my characters. I am thinking of my days playing Everquest and Everquest 2. I became very attached to those creations because they were my identity in those games. Those characters went on a lot of adventures with a lot of other cool players... The locations & events certainly made a lasting impression at times, but so did my 'toon. 

Single player, especially in AD&D, is a different story. 

To be completely honest, the only AD&D character I can recall with any clarity is the most recent one I created, and that is only because it was within the last few months. The rest of my characters escape me. 

There are reasons for that... 

I find that what I connect to, with regards to AD&D and single player games, is the story, locations and events. I can recall much of Baldur's Gate 1 & 2, for instance, but I cannot recall what character's I played with (I do know I played a multiclass fighter/wizard in BG2 just to see how it worked, and later a dual-class fighter/wizard since it was quite different with dual classing and humans). 

Locations... can be very memorable to me. They stick with me if they are designed well, or if they have a unique look and feel. Something visually attractive. For instance, I think the gnoll stronghold in the original Baldur's Gate still sticks in my mind as one of the best 2D locations ever painted. It's brilliant. 

NPC's are the same way. The great ones stick. They have something unique about them, something that makes them noteworthy. Minsc is an obvious choice. Edwin and Viconia were also quite memorable. I like unique NPC's that don't annoy the hell out of me. This is why gnomes rarely last long in my single player games... For some reason, developers feel like making gnome NPC's about as enjoyable as Jar Jar Binks. (Same goes for Paladins... they don't all have to be dry, stuffy sticks-in-the-mud). 

Events are the king, however. And by events I generally mean encounters. Battles. Dungeon crawls... (although to limit them to dungeons is a shame). 

I think, again back to the gnoll stronghold: it was not only a visually great location, it had a decent encounter. Slaying the gnolls was quite a chore, and heaven forbid you needed to rest there. 

Later, in Baldur's Gate 2, the escape from the initial dungeon, the three dragon fights, and dealing with the Underdark all rank high on my this-encounter-is-cool-ometer. The dragon fights in particular... I like that sort of thing. 

Every player is going to connect with your mod in a different way. For some, it might be visuals, locations, the placement of things. For others, it might be the NPC's... For others still, unique events. You cannot please everyone, so you just have to shoot for what you love, and hope it resonates with some portion of the population. 

This modding business we do is a lot like creating any other kind of art. As a musician, I understand that I can only really create art that affects me. If someone else likes it, that's a bonus. 

I would say - if you love your creation, that is a good first step. The next step is to execute it. Make it flawless. As few bugs as possible. Spellcheck. Read your conversations over and over. Make sure events are clear to the player. If the mod is stable and relatively bug-free, I think you're ahead of the game when you release. 

[Friar]

Thanks Colorsfade,

I agree that NPCs can make or break. I've rarely enjoyed companions. I laughed when you compared gnome companions to Jar Jar Binks. I knew which NPC you were referring to instantly.

Its good to know Im on the right track with this.

[Friar]

So I've been in Colorado the past week tromping through the National Forests there.
I haven't made any progress.

However, I found some You-Tube clips by a British girl calling herself Resulka.
She seemed to enjoy The Genie's Curse enough to make a "Lets Play" video about it back in 2009.

So many things came to mind, but I want to first mention that Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse is so far from any AD&D cannon that anyone who played it might have thought it was Legends of Zelda: Link goes to Saudi Arabia.

Aside from that it was a very enjoyable game. Resulka sometimes unintentionally points out what made the game so charming back in 1994. I watched her videos to gather input on what she and I had in common, as far as what we liked or what we thought was funny.



I don't want to give away all the little references I plan to make and spread throughout the adventure but despite the inconsistency with Zakhara's lore in the game I thought it would be fun to try and include some things anyway. Here are some of my notes...

- The music added style and vibe to the game.

- The Main menu looks vaguely familiar to the front cover of "Al-Qadim: Assassin Mountain" an accessory for the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, published in 1993.

- Main character is always shirtless with red pants, dervish boots, and a white Sikh Pagri.

- According to The Genie's Curse, the corsair class is a cross between a Pirate and a Jedi Padawan. Not sure how to make my own prestige classes yet so... moving along.

- Familiar and sometimes stupid names: Muliban, Aliya, Al-Hasrad, Wassab, Mamoon?, Babazar, Qadi,...

-The scrolls are all in a dialogue mode rather than an examine. Not sure if I will try that.

- Some fans of The Genies Curse are unforgiving of the spelling of "posses" and think a typist should have their hands chopped off for making typos.

- The Dialogue with the aunt and her frogs was pretty entertaining.

- Dialogue with the tiger shapeshifter was entertaining.

- Most people liked breaking stuff in this game... not sure I want to implement this but there you have it.

- Most people thought the big pillows and wall hangings were a nice touch to the environment.

- Memorable insult "Your head is like a coconut, Innkeeper. Thick on the outside, slush on the inside.

- Memorable insult "May fate steer you into the deepest whirlpool. And may your navel be filled with the fleas of 100 camels."

- Either a compliment or a thank you?
"Ah, may the Swan of Happiness float a feather of love upon your upturned face." lol, wtf.

- Resulka drew attention to each time her PC got near someone and they didn't greet her. I would otherwise ignore this if I had not played ADwR.
Valine is another British Chick and she seemed to be really intent on making the NPCs greet the PC whenever she could. It actually gave the game some life and so I will try and follow this clue and see how it pans out.

- The ending was a cheap cliff hanger that lead us to think a sequel might happen. So I have decided that the players should at some point run into the main character and his bride. It won't be in the first module, but they will know them when they see them in a future episode. The ending states

"As your adventure draws to a close, a new adventure begins. As prince and husband, your destiny lies before you. A destiny that will forever change the world of Al-Qadim."

To this day I have no idea how the Prince changed the world of Al-Qadim. Maybe he moved to Persia and became a prince there instead? No clue, but while we will meet up with he and the princess we still won't get a definitive answer. Not unless the writer contacts me directly and decides he wants to make a Genies Curse part 2.

Modifié par koundog1, 15 novembre 2013 - 06:58 .

[andysks]

If I may comment on some of the points you took while watching the video.
Shirtless characters should be a must in an Arabic setting in my opinion. They add some flavor.
The music adds some vibe indeed, but it also makes you tired after some sessions.
Some different scrolls could be interesting. Maybe not all, but on some occasions it would be a good difference.
Big pillows also a must on Arabic settings.

I am not sure what you mean by the end of the post. Will you implement the prince's story to your mod, but not as a sequel?

[Friar]

Hey Andy I apologize for not writing more clearly.
What I meant was that the main character ____ Al Hasrad, who we have all played in Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse, and Kara the princess will make a cameo appearance in a future episode, but not in this episode 1, Thieves of Halwa.

I suspect that you are asking because you see some conflicts with cannon.

I feel minor inclusions of the Genie's Curse story is acceptable since the ending told us his destiny is tied to all of Al-Qadim. The world of Al-Qadim is Zakhara in the deep southern reaches of the Forgotten Realms. Being a Forgotten Realm there are some rules though and The Genies Curse kind of breaks a lot of them.

For starters, I'm not sure where Zaratan is, or if it even exists. Not entirely sure there is or has ever been a "genie's curse." Those details aren't that important to me though. Whats important is that the story is something that many people are familiar with and something they enjoyed as much as me.

I am not including them in episode 1 because as far as we know Halwa is a long way from the Cosair Domains. Some Forgotten Realms sages speculate that if Zaratan and Bandar al-Sa'adat even exist then they are in the far northern reaches of Zakhara. Therefore, without giving away too much, it is possible the NWN2 character will find adventures in those regions.

Also, I'm including them because I liked The Genies Curse and thought it was pretty fun for a quasi RPG. I kind of miss the hero since we never saw from him again and Kara was kind of hot for a pixelated fictitious character.

(EDIT) Also, thanks for the input about the pillows, music, and setting. It helps me materialize what I envision. NWN2 really came with a ton of pillow selections.

Modifié par koundog1, 15 novembre 2013 - 10:49 .

[kamal_]

koundog1 wrote...

- Familiar and sometimes stupid names: Muliban, Aliya, Al-Hasrad, Wassab, Mamoon?, Babazar, Qadi,...

My favorite name generator , it does arab names along with just about any other type you could want, Also generates place names etc.

[Friar]

Thank you Kamal!

[andysks]

I think that no matter the setting you base a campaign on, you are free to do as you will. I remember more than a decade ago, I bought a campaign setting called Kingdoms of Kalamar. It was not spectacular... it had some good settings but in general, better exist.
Anyway, there was a thing, if I remember correctly, somewhere, someone or in general, the spell finger of death had no saving throw. It was simply death!
So when I was the DM for my group, I chose to make the spell with a saving throw even if the setting said otherwise.

And I also think, this is why in all the books that WotC publish, they give the setting, lore etc, and there are always stories and myths about places or items. Like on Mount Celestia, the manual of the planes says the last layer they say is a mystery. It's like they tell you "take it make it as you want".

So, I go too far. In my opinion, the DM, or mod builder has some freedom to do as his imagination dictates.
In my campaign, I am certain there are items with Faerun lore, even though it's not based in Faerun. I can't control it. I can't possibly make thousands of items.
So, I wanna say, if you want to implement something do it. A possibility would be to make it as an eastern egg of some kind, but I'm sure you'll find a way .

[ColorsFade]

@andysks I had not heard of Project Eternity. Had to go check out their website. Very interesting. Tim Cain... Chris Avellone... I'll keep an eye on it. Thanks!