Calls that we wish existed

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AuthorTopic: Calls that we wish existed
Shock Trooper
Member # 4180
Profile #75
This is another thing I'll probably only see in my dreams, but it would be really nice to have a predefined END_TALK state for NPCs, called whenever dialog is exited (whether by "The conversation ends", "That's all for now" or ESC/the Done button).

I've run into several situations where it would be beneficial to have an NPC react in some way to the player ending the conversation with them.

EDIT: Just figured out a way to "kinda sorta" fake this reliably. Just have the character set a flag when the conversation starts (in a code block attached to the INTRO), then have the START_STATE of the character's script check for that flag being set. The character won't do anything from it's START_STATE until the conversation is over.

A predefined state to catch it would still be much nicer, if for no other reason that it would (presumably) catch the conversation end in the current turn, instead of waiting for the next one. It would also be much cleaner...

[ Thursday, April 29, 2004 13:12: Message edited by: spyderbytes ]

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-spyderbytes
Posts: 200 | Registered: Wednesday, March 31 2004 08:00
Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
Profile Homepage #76
A call that would display a missile animation. Something along the lines of
void put_missile_animation(short source_x,short source_y,short dest_x,short dest_y)
in the same general feeling as put_straight_zap.

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Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens.
Smoo: Get ready to face the walls!
Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr.

Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me
The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever
Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00
Shaper
Member # 22
Profile #77
A monster_on_space(x,y) call, that returns 1 if there is a monster with a number greater or equal to 6 of any type on that space.
Posts: 2862 | Registered: Tuesday, October 2 2001 07:00
Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
Profile Homepage #78
The call char_on_spot sounds like it does something quite like this. I haven't tried it to know all the ins and outs of it, though.

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Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens.
Smoo: Get ready to face the walls!
Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr.

Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me
The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever
Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00
Shaper
Member # 22
Profile #79
Char_on_spot returns the number of the character on the space. It returns -1 if there is no character there - but if you try and check for -1 in Boolean statements it gets all screwy.
Posts: 2862 | Registered: Tuesday, October 2 2001 07:00
Shock Trooper
Member # 4180
Profile #80
Does

if (char_on_space(x,y) == -1) {
// do something
}

not work?

Or, if you want the inverse

if (char_on_space(x,y) >= 0) {
// do something
}

Haven't tried it, but can't see why it shouldn't work...

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-spyderbytes
Posts: 200 | Registered: Wednesday, March 31 2004 08:00
Shaper
Member # 22
Profile #81
I tried both these things, but couldn't seem to get them to work (without good reason, either). Maybe I did something wrong, but I have tried it quite a few times.
Posts: 2862 | Registered: Tuesday, October 2 2001 07:00
Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
Profile Homepage #82
Not exactly a call, but I'd like custom sounds without having to hack apart the BoA data files. I was looking through E3's sounds with ResEdit, and there's some good stuf in there that we can't use, because we can't add sounds.

[ Wednesday, May 05, 2004 14:14: Message edited by: Kelandon ]

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Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens.
Smoo: Get ready to face the walls!
Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr.

Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me
The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever
Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00
Infiltrator
Member # 3040
Profile #83
Wait-
Didn't someone (I forgot who, sorry for not giving credit where it is due) figure out how to add sounds? It isn't any harder than adding custom graphics, from what I remember. The only problem is that Windows users are out of luck, but for the Mac half (and of course it is more than half at the moment), it's doable.

Edit: Kennedy discovered the method.

[ Wednesday, May 05, 2004 14:06: Message edited by: wz. arsics ]

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5.0.1.0.0.0.0.1.0...
Posts: 508 | Registered: Thursday, May 29 2003 07:00
Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
Profile Homepage #84
My bad, I thought he did it by hacking the data files. Then I wish that this was supported, which I know it is not.

And since PC users constitute roughly 50-60% of the Spiderweb-user population, a scenario feature that doesn't work for PCs is useless. I suppose I could just *do* it and figure out how to get it to work for PCs later, but the concept frightens me.

I stand by my request, inasmuch as this method doesn't necessarily work.

[ Wednesday, May 05, 2004 14:16: Message edited by: Kelandon ]

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Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens.
Smoo: Get ready to face the walls!
Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr.

Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me
The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever
Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00
Guardian
Member # 2476
Profile #85
quote:
a scenario feature that doesn't work for PCs is useless.
But it does work. I did it. If you use the above link and read on, you'll see how. I thought at first that a program might be useful that added custom sound files, when a scenario is started, and deleted them, when it is finished. But that's not really necessary. A folder with custom sounds that come with the scenario will work just fine.

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Polaris
Rache's A3 Site reformatted 2/3 done
Rache's A3 Site, original version
Posts: 1828 | Registered: Saturday, January 11 2003 08:00
Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
Profile Homepage #86
I'm reading through this (for the third time now) and not seeing any resolution to the original issues. Adding custom sounds for a Mac: just add them to the .cmg file that has the custom graphics in it. Sure. That's easy. Adding custom sounds for a PC:

...

Oh, okay. I think I get it now. No one ever spelled it out, though. Does it work like this: depending on whether Jeff sticks with the Geneforge system of storing sounds or the Avernum Trilogy system for Win-BoA, one can add sounds by sticking in either extra .wav files into a folder called "100" or extra folders with the .wav files inside into that folder?

It seems like this would almost be modifying core data files (because these are going right next to the regular data files, not beside your scenario data), and for every scenario with different custom sounds, you would have to take them out and put in the new ones.

Which means that we can probably do this in two or three years, when Spiderweb doesn't care about BoA anymore, but we can't do it now.

EDIT: On top of which, I'm not entirely sure how I'd do this. SW ports the graphics over to PC format for us Mac users, and vice-versa. I don't have a PC, nor do I have any way of making .wav files that I know of. I could do the Mac equivalent with ResEdit really easily.

EDIT 2: After some thought, I decided I'd just e-mail Jeff and see if he would ban a scenario with custom sounds. If not, then I'll just do it. If so... we'll see.

[ Wednesday, May 05, 2004 18:17: Message edited by: Kelandon ]

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Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens.
Smoo: Get ready to face the walls!
Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr.

Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me
The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever
Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00
Guardian
Member # 2476
Profile #87
You won't have to take the original ones out, just add your own new ones to the already existing number of files. Jeff Vogel's own files will not have to be touched or altered in any way.

Creating .wav-files: a sound you record is a .wav-file usually (on PCs, that is). Or from MP3s, using an encode-decode program.

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Polaris
Rache's A3 Site reformatted 2/3 done
Rache's A3 Site, original version
Posts: 1828 | Registered: Saturday, January 11 2003 08:00
Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
Profile Homepage #88
quote:
You won't have to take the original ones out, just add your own new ones to the already existing number of files.
Now it's my turn: read what I wrote, ef. Every time you play a scenario with custom sounds, you will have to take out the old custom sounds. (Because the new ones and the old ones would be numbered the same...)

Basically, what concerns me is the concept of having to do more than simply move a folder into the Blades of Avernum Scenarios folder. But I'm just going to see what Jeff says.

EDIT: Gah, or are you saying that one could just put the .wav files into the scenario's folder and they would work? Please, just write out your method of adding custom sounds to a BoA scenario for a PC, and you'll save both of us a lot of confusion.

From your statement "I did it," I gather that you have a method for this specifically, not for adding custom sounds just to, say, Geneforge, which was what it sounded like in the other thread.

[ Thursday, May 06, 2004 09:25: Message edited by: Kelandon ]

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Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens.
Smoo: Get ready to face the walls!
Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr.

Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me
The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever
Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00
Guardian
Member # 2476
Profile #89
I don't have BoA, I'm on a PC, but I checked all other games. The sound files are always part of the .exe-directory. What I tried out with various games is adding files to the already existing ones. Let's say Jeff's files cover numbers 1 - 150. I then added 151, 152 etc. I linked those new (empty) files to my corresponding sound files, which I saved in a different folder and a different directory someplace else on my harddesk. Then ran sound tests from within the .exe-directory to see if the sounds would be played. It worked.

That's why I think that it should be relatively easy to add custom sounds to a scenario. You can save them in a sound folder that comes with the scenario and link them to the .exe. If you remove the folder, all that remains are a couple of empty files within the .exe-directory. Jeff's own files are not touched or altered in any way.

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Polaris
Rache's A3 Site reformatted 2/3 done
Rache's A3 Site, original version
Posts: 1828 | Registered: Saturday, January 11 2003 08:00
Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
Profile Homepage #90
Given that it won't be me doing this but rather some helpful PC user, I don't know why I'm even asking, but how do you "link" the files to the .exe?

Oh, okay, this is why I'm asking: the issue is the effort required to switch between scenarios with one set of custom sounds and scenarios with another set. If it requires something complicated in each individual sound file, then this method is questionable. If it's easy, then this sounds good.

--------------------
Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens.
Smoo: Get ready to face the walls!
Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr.

Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me
The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever
Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00
Guardian
Member # 2476
Profile #91
Switching between scenarios can be smooth and easy, if the designers agree to name their sound folder 'sound' and ask to place it, say, within the data folder. The individual sound files should just have numbers: 151, 152, etc.

A player who wants to listen to custom sounds would have to create a couple of empty files within the .exe-directory, using a program like reshack, which is freeware. That program also creates the links. Once that is done, the only further effort required is copying the scenario's sound folder into the data folder. You'll have to delete it when you finish the game and replace it with your next scenario's sound folder and so on.

File 151 can then be a banging door in scenario 1, the sound of rain in scenario 2, a short tune in scenario 3, etc.

[ Thursday, May 06, 2004 15:44: Message edited by: ef ]

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Polaris
Rache's A3 Site reformatted 2/3 done
Rache's A3 Site, original version
Posts: 1828 | Registered: Saturday, January 11 2003 08:00
Warrior
Member # 286
Profile #92
That would require effort. :P So it's probably a Bad Thing(tm) unless the scenario really, really, REALLY relies on the sounds. Which would be almost never.

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Z: "I just feel so insignificant."
Psych: "You ARE. You're an ANT."
--Antz
Posts: 104 | Registered: Saturday, November 17 2001 08:00
Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
Profile Homepage #93
quote:
So it's probably a Bad Thing(tm)
Hey, what are you trying to say about TM?

This is what we have so far, grouped roughly by degree of possibility:

Calls:
short get_energy(short which_char)

void deduct_char_ap(short which_char, short amount)

void set_year(short year)

void crumble_terrain(short loc_x, short loc_y)

void put_missile_animation(short source_x,short source_y,short dest_x,short dest_y)

short approach_location(short which_char_or_group, short loc_x, short loc_y, short within_dist)

void equip_item_in_slot(short which_char, short

which_item, short which_slot)

short has_item_of_variety(short which_variety, short take_item)

short item_uses_in_slot(short which_char, short which_slot)

void alter_item_uses_in_slot(short which_char, short which_slot, short amount)

void cast_spell(short target_char,short mage_or_priest,short which_spell)

short path_ok(short start_loc_x, short start_loc_y, short end_loc_x, short end_loc_y)

short request_number() -- to get a numeric input

void block_entry_special(short blocked_to_which_char_or_group, short do_blockage)

void fade_to_black()

void fade_from_black()

void identify_item -- not sure how to set up the parameters for this one

reset_floors(short do_reset)

reset_terrains(short do reset)

short get_pressed_key()

Non-call things:
"next/previous" buttons for creatures that cycle through all the placed creatures in town

a predefined END_TALK state for NPCs

customizable scenario icons

custom character status icons

support for custom sounds

--------------------
Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens.
Smoo: Get ready to face the walls!
Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr.

Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me
The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever
Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00
Shake Before Using
Member # 75
Profile #94
™ has been a bad tentacle monster, apparently.
Posts: 3234 | Registered: Thursday, October 4 2001 07:00
Warrior
Member # 286
Profile #95
Heh, I walked right into that one.

No custom sounds for Trademark Monster! :D

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Z: "I just feel so insignificant."
Psych: "You ARE. You're an ANT."
--Antz
Posts: 104 | Registered: Saturday, November 17 2001 08:00
Warrior
Member # 1016
Profile #96
I would like the ability to give an item with a set number of charges, or see how many charges the curent item has if it uses a script. This was how I was planning to implement soul crystals.

for example my_charges would return how many charges the item that called the script has.
set_charges would change that number.
Posts: 141 | Registered: Saturday, April 20 2002 07:00
...b10010b...
Member # 869
Profile Homepage #97
Can't you fake this by implementing charges via SDF?

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The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure!
Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00

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