[SCENARIO] Dungeon Adventure - the 133rd K.R.A.G.

[Jabie]

I think that can be arranged! Do you mean to have the zip contain the exact same stuff and in the same format, but to just rename the zip "assets_DA?"

Er... I think so. Make Assets_DA.zip a complete copy of the latest Assets File (Patch V), then replace the files you ned for DA. This way if a player wants to play DA they just rename Assets to Assets_FfH and Assets_DA to Assets and vice versa when they want to play FfH.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

I still can't figure out how to get out of shaft X. I've cleared all the beavers rats several times, but that doesn't seem to let me do anything else.

Edit: Right after writing that I ended a turn on the same tile as the guy who was supposed to unlock it, and he did so. I think he had usually moved away whenever I ended on the same tile before.

Now I've managed to get to the surface, and the incomplete scenario in the NE corner.

 

[Lutefisk Mafia]

I still can't figure out how to get out of shaft X. I've cleared all the beavers rats several times, but that doesn't seem to let me do anything else.

Edit: Right after writing that I ended a turn on the same tile as the guy who was supposed to unlock it, and he did so. I think he had usually moved away whenever I ended on the same tile before.

Now I've managed to get to the surface, and the incomplete scenario in the NE corner.

Eventually, I will try to beef up the goal tags or put messages in the log to give better hints about what to do next. Right now they are buried in the long intro texts that the NPCs give you. They are easy to miss if you skim those!

Maybe a special pop up right after the rats are all gone, too, directing the player to go talk to the Captain?

Anyhow -- I also do not really care for the current "talk to NPC" mechanism but, due to the limitations of the contest, I am stuck with it. In order to talk to an NPC, you must end a turn on the same plot as the NPC, and then hope they do not move away!

I changed this mechanism slightly, and I hope that it cuts down on frustration. The NPCs will still change facing and move around a little, but when the player is within 1 plot of them, they get the "HELD" promotion. This will freeze them long enough to talk to them. Once the player moves out of range again, the "HELD" promotion disappears, and the NPCs can wander about like normal.

I really do want to keep some element of NPC movement, if possible. NPCs that just stand forever in one spot seem fakey!

So -- the improved mechanic will be in the next release.

Thank you for the input! This is how the scenario gets improved!

 

[Lutefisk Mafia]

Er... I think so. Make Assets_DA.zip a complete copy of the latest Assets File (Patch V), then replace the files you ned for DA. This way if a player wants to play DA they just rename Assets to Assets_FfH and Assets_DA to Assets and vice versa when they want to play FfH.

Whoah. The assets file is about 750 MB total. The stuff added/changed for the scenario is only about 150 KB. Just to keep Download times low, I think I'll stick with the changed files only.

But what I will probably do is have one zip file to change to the scenario, and another that will re-install the default FfH2 files. That way, people can switch the scenario in and out, without having to mess with 750 MB of stuff that isn't changing.

I'll try to add this with the next release.

 

[Lutefisk Mafia]

Just out of curiosity -- does anyone know how to force a unit to perform an animation? For example, if I wanted to force Gorym to perform the "raze" animation when running over rats, how would I code that? Or would this be forcing an action? Or a mission?

 

[cIV_khanh93]

erm, make some undetectable improvements? I'm not much for the coding nor the elegant solutions.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

You could add the Warning Post improvement (which can be razed, is invisible, and already exists so you wouldn't have to add one that would break the contest rules) on top of each beaver, and require the unit to raze it instead of just walk on the tile. I'm not sure how to force the animation without actually making him raze it. Making the unit autoraze might work, but I'm thinking that would require you change the units you use as I don't think there is a promotion that can do it in FF. I don't think you can do it while remaining within the scenario design contest requirements.

 

[xienwolf]

Reasonably certain that this is the code for the animation in the DLL:

	if (pPlot->isActiveVisible(false))
	{
		// Pillage entity mission
		CvMissionDefinition kDefiniton;
		kDefiniton.setMissionTime(GC.getMissionInfo(MISSION_PILLAGE).getTime() * gDLL->getSecsPerTurn());
		kDefiniton.setMissionType(MISSION_PILLAGE);
		kDefiniton.setPlot(pPlot);
		kDefiniton.setUnit(BATTLE_UNIT_ATTACKER, this);
		kDefiniton.setUnit(BATTLE_UNIT_DEFENDER, NULL);
		gDLL->getEntityIFace()->AddMission(&kDefiniton);
	}

Also relatively certain that you cannot access the AddMission system from python. But check out the IDE and see if it shows up anywhere, it might be possible.

IDE 1

IDE 2

 

[Lutefisk Mafia]

Would CySelectionGroup.pushMission or .setActivityType work?

I tried the push mission thing, but think I messed up the syntax. I kept getting python failures.

 

[xienwolf]

Set Activity doesn't look too likely, I don't see anything which would link to Pillaging. They all seem to be automation type of activities (hold, heal, plunder(blockade), sentry, intercept...)

PushMission could possibly do it, but I think that with this one you would be trying to actually pillage the tile, which may cause issues since there isn't actually anything to pillage on that tile.

 

[Lutefisk Mafia]

You could add the Warning Post improvement (which can be razed, is invisible, and already exists so you wouldn't have to add one that would break the contest rules) on top of each beaver, and require the unit to raze it instead of just walk on the tile. I'm not sure how to force the animation without actually making him raze it. Making the unit autoraze might work, but I'm thinking that would require you change the units you use as I don't think there is a promotion that can do it in FF. I don't think you can do it while remaining within the scenario design contest requirements.

This is the best contender so far, but as I have mentioned before I am loathe to require razing warning posts. Raze-able warning posts have become a pet peeve of mine. I could swear that a barbarian unit razed one in one of the official scenarios once, but I couldn't reproduce it... In any case, I don't like the fact that all of my other WPs are raze-able in the scenario -- too much chance that a player will raze it by accident and bork up the scenario!

Okay. [/RANT]

But yes, unless I can find a python way to force an animation, I may resort to razing a WP.

Or -- perhaps forcing a spell casting would work? Do any of the spells have a violent looking unit animation that resembles stomping rats?

 

[Jabie]

If the rats were found in rubble could you use the City Ruins tile...

 

[Skitters]

or perhaps the fire/sun 1/2 icon to symbolize cooking the rat?!

...though perhaps that's a bit too Terry Pratchett discworld-ish and would mean you'd need to make a rat on a stick button

 

[giddion]

I like the city ruins idea...

 

[Lutefisk Mafia]

First, I took two nights off from coding to actually PLAY FfH2. A much needed break! Played the Svartalfar on an Erebus map and ended up on a pretty good sized island all by myself. Built up a nice evil empire and then did horrible things to everyone else. Very therapeutic!

Second, I mostly finished the chained events that make it possible to buy and sell stuff from merchants. I may add a few things, and I am certain that prices will be fine-tuned, but it works for now.

Third, I have been struggling with a twist in the magic system that I really wanted to use. You see, many of the traditional FfH2 spells are useless in this scenario setting. Moreover, there is not much of a future for a Khazad adept under normal rules, but I want to give the player an option to be a magic-user.

I came up with the idea of having mana crystals being an infrequent, but not rare, treasure in my dungeons. When the player runs over them, they can be "picked up." Picking up a certain flavor of crystal gives the player one rank in that domain. For example, if you already had Earth1, running over an earth mana crystal would promote you to Earth2.

But to make this system work, the crystals must be expendable. For example, suppose you have Earth3. If you decide to cast stoneskin, it will "cost" two ranks of earth, and you go down to Earth1. If you summon an Earth Elemental, you expend all ranks of Earth.

In trying make this work within the limitations of the contest (arghhh!), I had the engine looking for the RESULTS of the spells in order to adjust mana promotion levels.

Well, guess what? It looks like summonables do not use the onUnitCreated def! For balancing, I wanted the summons to be permanent (they would only be permanent for one dungeon level, though, and would not accompany the party to the next level). I was trying to code a way to make a summoned Earth Elemental not disappear in one round, but trying to intercept things using onUnitCreated does not seem to work.

Any ideas? I would like to use this system for the DA scenario. I may still use the accumulation method, but being able to do a third tier summon every turn seems a bit overpowered for a dungeon setting.

On the other hand, perhaps I could limit the number of mana promotions a character can have to something like 6. That way you could have rank 3 in one sphere, rank 2 in another and rank 1 in yet another. Or rank 1 in six spheres.

Anyway, feedback on this would be truly appreciated. I need to lock down this design in order to implement the next mission, since Kandros Fir allows Gorym to choose a "class" before heading out: scout, warrior, or adept.

 

[xienwolf]

How about if you try granting the player a capital city which is off the map (not sure if that is allowed by the engine, but you can try it) and contains their resources. Then you grant it free resources (through trade mechanisms?) when they walk over them, and allow their spells to expend them. That lets you store up more than just 3 earth points in this example.

On DoTurn function you can loop the map and scan for units with a duration maybe? Would require that you grant the player Summoner Trait so that his summons last to the next turn though. And doesn't account for the normally permanent summons.

 

[Diamondeye]

Looks like this scenario is turning out really great, Lutefisk! I would help playtest it if I wasn't an idiot at filehandling, and very busy at school this week and the next

First, I took two nights off from coding to actually PLAY FfH2. A much needed break! Played the Svartalfar on an Erebus map and ended up on a pretty good sized island all by myself. Built up a nice evil empire and then did horrible things to everyone else. Very therapeutic!

I can imagine. If you are hooked on Svartalfar, I have just posted a save in the Strategy and Tips... Your neighboors are Garrim and Falamar. IF you are feeling sadistic..?

 

[Lutefisk Mafia]

How about if you try granting the player a capital city which is off the map (not sure if that is allowed by the engine, but you can try it) and contains their resources. Then you grant it free resources (through trade mechanisms?) when they walk over them, and allow their spells to expend them. That lets you store up more than just 3 earth points in this example.

On DoTurn function you can loop the map and scan for units with a duration maybe? Would require that you grant the player Summoner Trait so that his summons last to the next turn though. And doesn't account for the normally permanent summons.

Alas, no, the game engine does not like it when cities get placed off the map! Good idea, though.

 

[xienwolf]

You said that you don't use the top line of the map for anything, can you squeeze a city in there? The Citybar may be a bit of a nuisance though, and isn't easily dodged....

 

[Psychic_Llamas]

why dont you allow the character to 'set up camp', which founds a city (camp site) as the capital and razes all other cities previously owned by the player. this would also allow a limited 'save point' ability. you could make the 'camp site' act the way xien suggested with mana, but make it act like kurio settlements so it allows a slight fortification boost and increased healing.