List of bugs affecting BoA Calls

Author	Topic: List of bugs affecting BoA Calls
Ishad Nha Shock Trooper Member # 7662	written Monday, October 15 2007 22:49 Profile #0 Here is a list of bug reports listed in the order in which they appear in the Wiki BoA Script Reference. All calls have been listed, even though most appear to be alright, this is in case bugs are found in the future. I hope to follow up with companion files for bugs relating to functions found in the manual or in the BoA Editor Help file. This is a plain text condensation of a Rich Text Format original. Miscellaneous Special Calls: in my own version I have distributed these calls among the other headings, but here I will use the standard format. In the comments below, “I” will be the person who wrote the original post. TSE = the Windows version of Technical Support for the Editor. Comments with no attribution come from Kel. Script and IO Calls 1 Campaign and Scenario Calls 2 Basic Character Calls 2 Item, Special Item and Gold Calls 4 Location and Distance Calls 4 Statistic and Damage Functions 5 Animation and SFX Functions 5 Scenario Initialization Calls 6 Boats and Horses 6 Event Calls 6 Town Calls 6 Outdoor Calls 7 The Passage of Time 7 Miscellaneous Special Calls 7 Terrain Checking and Modification 8 Dialog Calls 8 Basic Dialog Box Calls 9 Advanced Dialog Box Calls 9 Terrain Script and Creature Script Calls 9 Terrain Script Calls 10 Movement, AI Functions 10 Combat and Targeting Calls 10 Grouping Calls 11 Messaging Calls 11 Advanced Item Management Calls 11 NPCs Joining Party Calls 11 Splitting Up the Party Calls 11 Custom Item Ability Calls 11 Custom Character Ability Calls 11 Cutscene Calls 12 String Manipulation Calls 12 Debugging Procedures 12 Script and IO Calls 1 print_big_str 2 print_big_str_num TSE: print_big_str_color ignored the color field. The text was always black. This is fixed in the versions more recent than 10/8/04, (it is?). 3 void block_entry 4 void end 5 short get_ran 6 short get_selected_char 7 short is_combat 8 short is_outdoor 9 short is_town 10 void play_sound 11 void print_str 12 void print_str_color 13 void run_scenario_script 14 void run_town_script 15 void set_incidental_sound 16 void set_state 17 void set_state_continue Campaign and Scenario Calls 18 void clear_quest 19 void end_scenario 20 short get_flag 21 short get_sdf 22 void inc_flag 23 void set_flag 24 void toggle_quest Basic Character Calls 25 void alert_char 26 void award_char_xp 27 void award_party_xp 28 short can_see_char 29 void change_char_xp 30 void change_pc_skill_pts 31 void change_spell_level TSE: change_spell_level currently gives an unfortunate text message when used for a non-party creature. This is fixed in the versions more recent than 10/8/04. (It is?) 32 short char_attitude_to_char 33 short char_has_trait 34 short char_ok 35 short char_on_spot TSE: The descriptions of the calls char_on_loc and char_on_spot are unclear (and the call names are unhelpful). char_on_spot only checks for NPCs, so it will return -1 if one of the player's characters is on that spot. char_on_loc checks for all characters (as does char_on_me). 36 short char_status 37 short creature_type 38 void deduct_ap TSE: calls end_combat_turn and deduct_ap were originally designed to only be called in creature scripts. This is highly unfortunate, because these calls are very valuable for custom abilities, and because there is no way to reliably get them to work on PCs. If called in a scenario script, these calls affect PC 0 only. In later versions of Blades of Avernum (v1.0.1 Windows), when these calls are used in a non-creature script, they will affect the currently selected character (when not in combat) or the currently active character (in combat). 39 void end_combat_turn 40 short enemies_nearby 41 void erase_char 42 short friends_nearby 43 short get_attitude * As far as I can tell, the attitude of the party is 0, which should be mentioned under the get_attitude description. 44 short get_char_skill_pts 45 short get_energy The Immortal: Either there is no get_max_energy(); call, or there is no such call in the docs. Either way, this should be fixed. Ishad Nha: Maximum Spell Energy is statistic 36, so “get_stat( which_char,36);” should work here. 46 short get_health 47 short get_level TSE: the ME paramater doesn't work with relocate_character or get_level If you want to use these calls inside a creature script, use the my_number call. 48 short get_max_health 49 short get_species 50 short get_spell_level 51 short get_summon_level 52 void give_recipe 53 short has_recipe 54 void kill_char 55 short my_ap 56 short my_number 57 short party_can_see_loc 58 short party_has_trait 59 short party_size 60 void print_named_str 61 short random_party_member 62 void revive_party 63 void set_attitude 64 void set_char_alert 65 short set_char_script_mode 66 void set_char_trait 67 void set_creature_memory_cell 68 void set_level 69 void set_mobility 70 void set_name 71 void set_special_ability 72 void set_summon_level 73 short species_in_party Item, Special Item and Gold Calls 74 void change_coins 75 void change_spec_item 76 void char_give_item * Items don't stack when given via this call_give_item (so if you give three potions of the same kind, the character ends up with three different potions). This doesn't happen with reward_give or other item management calls as far as I know. 77 short char_has_item 78 short char_has_item_of_class_equip 79 void char_take_item TSE: Don't use the call char_take_item. It won't work. Use the call take_item instead. Note that this means that you can't take items from NPCs once they have been given. 80 short coins_amount 81 short has_item 82 short has_item_of_class 83 short has_num_of_item 84 short has_special_item 85 short item_of_class_on_spot 86 void move_item_on_spot 87 short pay_coins 88 void put_item_on_spot 89 short reward_give 90 short take_all_of_item 91 short take_all_of_item_class 92 void take_item 93 short take_item_of_class_on_spot 94 void take_num_of_item 95 void take_special_item Location and Distance Calls 96 short char_loc_x 97 short char_loc_y 98 short char_dist_to_loc 99 short char_on_loc TSE: The descriptions of the calls char_on_loc and char_on_spot are unclear (and the call names are unhelpful). char_on_spot only checks for NPCs, so it will return -1 if one of the player's characters is on that spot. Char_on_loc checks for all characters (as does char_on_me). 100 short dist_to_waypoint 101 short group_dist_to_loc 102 short my_dist_from_start Statistic and Damage Functions 103 void alter_stat TSE: alter_stat can't drop the main stats Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, or Endurance below the default starting level for those stats. Which is probably a good thing. 104 void change_char_energy 105 void change_char_health 106 short char_with_highest_skill 107 void damage_char 108 void damage_near_loc 109 short get_char_status 110 short get_highest_skill 111 short get_skill_total 112 short get_stat 113 short get_stat_levels_bought 114 void heal_char 115 short party_has_status 116 short party_member_has_skill 117 void restore_energy_char 118 void restore_pc 119 void set_char_status TSE: When using set_char_status with is_forced set to 0, curse/bless and shield/weaken are flipped. So set_char_status(5,1,10,FALSE,TRUE) will give character 5 10 levels of bless instead of shield (because the 1, which should be shield, is being read as bless instead). 120 void set_party_status 121 void status_near_loc 122 void waypoint_damage_party Animation and SFX Functions 123 void put_boom_on_char 124 void put_boom_on_space 125 void put_effect_on_char 126 void put_effect_on_space 127 void put_jagged_zap 128 void put_sparkles_on_char 129 void put_sparkles_on_space 130 void put_straight_zap 131 void run_animation 132 void run_animation_sound Scenario Initialization Calls 133 void add_item_to_shop 134 void create_boat 135 void create_horse 136 void init_quest 137 void init_special_item 138 void set_creature_type_level Boats and Horses 139 short in_boat 140 short in_horse 141 void set_boat_property 142 short set_boat_range_property 143 void set_horse_property 144 short set_horse_range_property Event Calls 145 short day_event_happened 146 void set_event_happened Town Calls 147 void activate_hidden_group 148 void change_crime_level 149 void change_outdoor_location 150 void clear_town * Something odd and undocumented is going on with the clear_town call. The description of the problem is here. 151 short current_town 152 short current_town_size 153 void enable_add_chars 154 short get_crime_level 155 void make_town_hostile 156 void move_to_new_town * The call move_to_new_town can't be called from an INIT_STATE, a START_STATE, a creature script, or a terrain script, even if you distance the call from the state with set_state_continue, run_town_script, or run_scenario_script. (I put this under documentation because apparently this would be hard to change.) 157 short num_killed_in_town * The call num_killed_in_town always returns 0. (I have not verified this.) 158 void place_monster 159 void set_crime_tolerance 160 void set_items_not_property 161 void set_town_status TSE: Problems With town_status Calls. The call town_status only works when passed the value -1 (for the current town). So town_status(-1) will return the status of the current town, but town_status(any other number) won't work correctly. 162 void set_town_visibility 163 short spawn_creature 164 short teleport_party Ishad Nha: Mode 2 does not work, fortunately modes 0,1 do work. 165 short town_status 166 void turn_off_training Outdoor Calls 167 void create_out_spec_enc 168 short current_out_section 169 void eliminate_outdoor_enc 170 void out_move_party 171 short outdoor_enc_exists 172 void outdoor_enc_result 173 void place_out_spec_enc 174 void set_out_fight_town_loaded The Passage of Time 175 void force_start_day 176 short get_current_tick 177 void set_ticks_forward 178 short tick_difference 179 short what_day_of_scenario * Arguably not a documentation problem, using force_start_day(-1) makes what_day_of_year always return 0, but what_day_of_scenario still works fine. This should at least be mentioned somewhere. Also, what_day_of_scenario starts at 0, despite the fact that the games in-game calendar starts at 1, which should at least be mentioned. 180 short what_day_of_year Lancer: It is worth noting that what_day_of_year() always returns a value of 0 if used with force_start_day(). In other words, the value for what_day_of_year fails to increment with each passing day. The way around it is by using the what_day_of_scenario() call which works correctly in conjunction with force_start_day(). Thralni: the call what_day_of_scenario() appears to always return the number of days - 1. This appears to be normal...So, if its day 3, what_day_of_scenario will return 2. Miscellaneous Special Calls 181 void create_text_bubble * The call create_text_bubble cannot be called from a terrain script, even though the docs say that it can. (I have not verified this.) 182 void drop_item 183 short get_char_who_stepped_on 184 void make_wandering_monst 185 void put_object_on_waypoint 186 short run_bash_door 187 short run_pick_lock 188 short set_ter_script_mode 189 void set_terrain_memory_cell 190 void text_bubble_on_char Terrain Checking and Modification 191 void change_blocked 192 short get_floor 193 short get_height 194 short get_terrain 195 void flip_terrain 196 short is_blocked 197 short is_field_on_space 198 short is_object_on_space 199 short is_stain_on_space 200 void put_field_on_space 201 void put_object_on_space 202 void put_stain_on_space * The call put_stain_on_space sometimes does nothing when attempting to remove a stain. This is a bit unpredictable, but most of the time that I've tried it, it does nothing. It also works fine putting a stain down, just not removing it. 203 void set_floor * The calls set_terrain, set_floor, and set_height only inconsistently work outdoors. They most often do nothing. 204 void set_height 205 void set_terrain 206 void swap_floor 207 void swap_terrain Dialog Calls 208 void add_string 209 void begin_shop_mode 210 void begin_talk_mode 211 short character_talking_to 212 void clear_strings 213 short current_personality 214 void remove_string 215 void set_char_dialogue_pic Basic Dialog Box Calls 216 reset_dialog 217 void add_dialog_choice * As described here, in a dialog box, choosing the second dialog choice always returns the number 2, even if the dialog choice was added as the third option. 218 reset_dialog_preset_options 219 void add_dialog_str 220 void message_dialog 221 short run_dialog Advanced Dialog Box Calls 222 void check_text_response_match 223 short get_selected_pc 224 void get_text_response 225 short got_text_match 226 void large_draw_pic_dialog 227 short run_select_a_pc 228 void small_draw_pic_dialog Terrain Script and Creature Script Calls 229 short can_see_loc 230 void damage_nearby 231 short dist_to_char 232 short dist_to_loc 233 short dist_to_party 234 short floor_in_this_spot 235 void force_status_nearby 236 short get_memory_cell 237 short get_nearest_char TSE: If you use this call in a creature script, it will return the number of the creature whose script is running, not the nearest other creature. This makes the call useless for creatures (it was originally intended for use in terrain scripts). Alignment-based calls (like get_nearest_evil_char) work fine as long as you're looking for creatures of a different alignment. 238 short get_nearest_evil_char 239 short get_nearest_good_char 240 void heal_nearby 241 short my_loc_x 242 short my_loc_y 243 void restore_energy_nearby 244 void set_memory_cell 245 short set_script_mode 246 void status_nearby 247 short terrain_in_this_spot Terrain Script Calls 248 short char_on_me 249 short char_who_activated_script 250 short get_mechanism_difficulty 251 short get_physical_strength * The call get_unlock_spell_strength is undocumented. 252 void set_mechanism_difficulty 253 void set_physical_strength Movement, AI Functions 254 short am_i_doing_action 255 short approach_char 256 void approach_ter_script 257 short approach_waypoint 258 void fidget 259 short flee_char 260 short maintain_dist_to_char 261 short move_to_loc_x_y 262 short return_to_start * When a creature can't get to a location that it's trying to get to, the game slows to a crawl. For example, when a creature gets lured out of a building hrough an open door, the door gets closed, and then the creature tries to return_to_start, the game slows. (This has been reported on Windows, and I have not verified it personally.) 263 void stop_moving Combat and Targeting Calls 264 void do_attack 265 void do_attack_tactic 266 short get_aggression 267 short get_courage TSE: The description of the call get_courage in the documentation is wrong. It should read: “short get_courage(short which_char,short dummy_value) - Returns the current courage of which_char. Dummy_value is ignored.” 268 short get_strategy 269 short get_target 270 short select_target 271 void set_aggression 272 void set_courage 273 void set_strategy 274 void set_target 275 short target_ok 276 short who_hit_me Grouping Calls 277 void add_char_to_group 278 void add_range_to_group 279 short char_in_group 280 void clear_all_groups 281 short first_group_member 282 short num_chars_in_group 283 short random_group_member 284 void remove_char_from_group 285 short what_group_in Messaging Calls 286 void broadcast_char_message 287 void broadcast_message_from_x_y 288 void broadcast_terrain_message 289 void give_char_message 290 void give_ter_script_message 291 short my_current_message Advanced Item Management Calls TSE: Do not use the ME value for which_char for these calls. Use the creature's actual number. Inside a creature script, you can get this with the my_number call. 292 void destroy_char_item 293 short get_item_variety 294 short item_type_in_slot 295 void take_item_char_item NPCs Joining Party Calls 296 short add_char_to_party 297 short character_in_party 298 short remove_char_from_party 299 short this_char_is_in_party Splitting Up the Party Calls 300 void reunite_party 301 void split_off_one_char 302 short try_to_split_party Custom Item Ability Calls 303 short who_is_custom_item_target 304 short who_used_custom_item Custom Character Ability Calls 305 void change_custom_abil_uses 306 short get_custom_abil_uses 307 void init_special_abil 308 short who_used_custom_abil Cutscene Calls 309 void erase_text_bubbles 310 void force_instant_terrain_redraw 311 void force_view_center 312 void march_party 313 void pause 314 void relocate_character TSE: the ME paramater doesn't work with relocate_character or get_level If you want to use these calls inside a creature script, use the my_number call. 315 void set_character_facing 316 void set_character_pose 317 void set_total_visibility String Manipulation Calls 318 void append_char_name 319 void append_number 320 void append_string 321 void clear_buffer 322 void get_buffer_text Debugging Procedures 323 void print_num TSE: The call print_num won't properly print negative numbers. If you need negative numbers, use print_nums. 324 void print_nums 325 turn_on_debug_mode Posts: 292 | Registered: Monday, November 13 2006 08:00
Celtic Minstrel Shock Trooper Member # 10488	written Tuesday, October 16 2007 05:49 Profile #1 quote: * The call get_unlock_spell_strength is undocumented. This is in fact only partially true. The call is not included in the appendix, but it is documented in "Chapter 1.7: Editing Towns", section "Magical Doors (Advanced)", on page 41. It does fail to specify what sort of arguments the call takes. Posts: 334 | Registered: Friday, September 14 2007 07:00
Ephesos Law Bringer Member # 4153	written Tuesday, October 16 2007 09:10 Profile Homepage #2 ...okay. Did you want me to do anything in particular with this? And I apologize, but if it's going to be a serious reference, I'll be tidying up the formatting to make it a bit more readable. -------------------- TM: "I want BoA to grow. Evolve where the food ladder has rungs to be reached." Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice. Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00