Point one: Unless you are saving all your game data to a database (this is how PWs manage their data to allow updates and restarts) you cannot make toolset changes to games already in progress. The standard save files contain way too much data. They are almost like little .mod files and once the game is underway toolset changes to the mod won't be reflected in loaded game saves.
As a DM you also have the power to possess individual creatures, as well as select multiple creatures and manually move them around on the board. If you are dealing with a game in progress being run off of standard save files this is pretty much the limit of your ability to control the movement of spawned creatures.
On the off chance you are saving the game data to a database, or in case anyone else cares... here's how it works in the toolset.
If you spawn in a creature using the DM client it will use whatever ambient movement/animation that's dictated by it's OnSpawn script. These are well commented in the standard scripts and you should have no trouble changing them. Just find the creature in the pallet, select "edit" or "edit new", go to "scripts", and edit "OnSpawn". Comment/uncomment* the blocks of script you want to dictate a creatures movements and behaviors and then save the script with a new name. When you spawn them in-game they will automatically follow the OnSpawn script you created for that creature.
The waypoints lazarus mentioned will work to create the "patrol routes" you are asking about,
but only if the Tag of a spawned creature matches the Tag of a series of movement waypoints. This means you can easilly set up "walkpoints" using the toolset in advance for any creature in your pallet. As soon as you spawn in a creature it will wait for a player to percive it, then march off towards the first waypoint.
This can actually create problems for novice builders creating DM friendly modules, BTW. For example... suppose you only place one commoner on a map and use the toolset to create walkpoints for it. Unless you
change the commoners tag first spawning new commoners in-game can be a problem because as soon as they are percieved by the player
they are automatically going to go marching off to the first walkpoint.
Be aware, also, that such subtlety is often lost on hostiles because attacking will always take priority. When placing hostile creatures keep this in mind. They will attack as soon as they perieve a PC
regardless of movement waypoints and ambient animations.
By default, to conserve resourses, all movement and animation is switched off until the creature is percieved by a player. This might be why your drow just stand there like statues when you spawn them even though you have modified the module with walk waypoints. As a DM you would not be recognized as a PC so you would not fire the script. This can also be switched on and off by modifying the onspawn scripts in the toolset and again, the lines of script are well commented and easy to find and change.
All novice builders would be well advised to spend some time checking out the standard bioware creature OnSpawn script. First of all the simplicity with which you can modify it will go a long way towards easing your fear of scripting, but you will also be delighted with the power you have to change a creatures default behavior just by commenting and uncomenting existing command lines.
* Just fyi... a commented line is preceded by a "//" and appears green in the script editor. The script editor ignores these lines when compiling unless the "//" is removed. This is called "uncommenting". Likewise you can order the compiler to ignore command lines simply by commenting them.
Modifié par Urk, 08 janvier 2013 - 03:05 .
