November 2012 Custom Content Challenge: Sea, Air & Land Travel

[Legacy_Asymmetric]

               @Shemsu-Heru:
When I first tried to modify a tileset, I was still using gmax and following this tutorial:
http://nwvault.ign.c...t=tile_tutorial

But it's pretty old. There are newer ones in the Custom Content Tutorials List and at some point I just stripped out the Ship from the tno tileset and the carrack in Worms Seasonal Forst and loaded them up in blender to see how they are done.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Asymmetric, 08 novembre 2012 - 05:38 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_henesua]

               Rolo, FYI, you can probably make the transitions visible at the edge of your areas and treat them as Area Transitions. I've been tweaking seamless area transitions in Arnheim and they are working much better these days. They behave in a similar manner to vanilla transitions - except that position in the destination area is calculated based on position in starting area. This wasn't scripting magic but simply figuring out how to use the game resources properly.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Shemsu-Heru]

               

Asymmetric wrote...

@Shemsu-Heru:
When I first tried to modify a tileset, I was still using gmax and following this tutorial:
http://nwvault.ign.c...t=tile_tutorial

But it's pretty old. There are newer ones in the Custom Content Tutorials List and at some point I just stripped out the Ship from the tno tileset and the carrack in Worms Seasonal Forst and loaded them up in blender to see how they are done.

Thank you, '>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_AndarianTD]

               

henesua wrote...

It all counts, Andarian.

OK, then! After confirming with Estelindis, we're going to package and release, as a joint submission, the "Sanctum Flying System" that I've been using to develop Sanctum 3 and to re-build Sanctum 2. It'll consist of the "Sanctum Flying Skyscape Tileset" that Este and I co-designed, and which she implemented, and the scripts that I developed to implement the "Flying and Ridable Pegasus System." Those interested can see a preview of what can be done with this system on my blog:

The Sky Over Rayche


               
               

               

                     Modifié par AndarianTD, 09 novembre 2012 - 11:54 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_TheOneBlackRider]

               Great! Some time back, I looked into this awesome feature. Thanks for unhooking it from Sanctum! That is a pretty unique piece of work.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Shemsu-Heru]

               What about an script or something; What gives you a chance to have an random encounter when you travel, between areas? In other words when you travel between areas, instead of arrive where you want, you have a chance to arrive, for example, in an area with hostile bandits, if you are traveling by land, or in one with a pirate ship trying to board your's, if you are traveling by sea...

This kind of random encounters are very common in other RPGs, and it's something that I have missed in NWN....
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_AndarianTD]

               

Shemsu-Heru wrote...

What about an script or something; What gives you a chance to have an random encounter when you travel, between areas? In other words when you travel between areas, instead of arrive where you want, you have a chance to arrive, for example, in an area with hostile bandits, if you are traveling by land, or in one with a pirate ship trying to board your's, if you are traveling by sea...

This kind of random encounters are very common in other RPGs, and it's something that I have missed in NWN....

I like the idea, and think it would be pretty straighteasy in NWN. The trick is to create a transition trigger controlled by an onAreaTransitionClick script that overrides the normal area transition. Put variables on the trigger to be read for the normal destination waypoint, and the encounter destination waypoint(s). Do the check, and transport the player to the random encounter waypoint area if one occurs. Save the normal destination on the encounter area to be used by its exit transitions on return when the encounter is done.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_henesua]

               

AndarianTD wrote...
Save the normal destination on the encounter area to be used by its exit transitions on return when the encounter is done.

Just want to point out that this is risky in multiplayer since the destination area is dependent upon PC and the encounter area is likely to be recycled for other PCs. Its therefore better to save the destination on the PC, and check for this destination on the PC when they leave the encounter area. If the destination is invalid on the PC, send them to a default location.

Otherwise it sound slike a good implemetation. I think Andarian is a programmer or something. '>
               
               

               

                     Modifié par henesua, 10 novembre 2012 - 01:18 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_henesua]

               On a related note. You know those placeable rowboats that a PC can click on and instantly transition to a destination? What bugs me about them is that the rowboat exists at both locations simultaneously. So if you wish to escape across a river in your boat, the nazgul can use the same boat to follow you.

So anyway I created a script that moves the boat between locations, but the interface seems difficult for players to grasp in a multiplayer context. If I posted the package up here in a module, could I get some feedback on how to improve it for multiplayer? I'll be happy to submit it to the challenge.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par henesua, 10 novembre 2012 - 01:25 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_AndarianTD]

               

henesua wrote...

AndarianTD wrote...
Save the normal destination on the encounter area to be used by its exit transitions on return when the encounter is done.

Just want to point out that this is risky in multiplayer since the destination area is dependent upon PC and the encounter area is likely to be recycled for other PCs. Its therefore better to save the destination on the PC, and check for this destination on the PC when they leave the encounter area. If the destination is invalid on the PC, send them to a default location.

Otherwise it sounds like a good implemetation. I think Andarian is a programmer or something. '>

Or something. '>

Yes, that's a good point about MP that I hadn't considered. It might be interesting to thow multiple PC parties into the same encounter area -- e.g., you arrive to see another PC in the middle of a pitched battle with orcs, maybe with reinforcements arriving when you do, instead of an encounter tailor-generated for your party alone.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <trying to figure a way...>

A point on that - save the source location as well and determine where the PC goes by the outcome of the encounter (and here is where I push for other-than-combat encounters, btw ;-).  If the PC can't get past the border guard by bribery, stealth or combat (heh), then he exits back where he started.

This would be an easy hook into seamless transitions (or my Regional Mod system).  So +1 for someone doing this ;-)

@ Henesua: how is your seamless transitions improved? *Very* interested, as that is the core of the transitioning system for RegMods... except you are transitioning between areas defined in a node table rather than arranged by naming convention.

Edit: 

AndarianTD wrote...
Yes, that's a good point about MP that I hadn't considered. It might be interesting to thow multiple PC parties into the same encounter area -- e.g., you arrive to see another PC in the middle of a pitched battle with orcs, maybe with reinforcements arriving when you do, instead of an encounter tailor-generated for your party alone.

FWIW, the template areas in RegMods when in use have the variable "isNode" set (to the Node index). When transitioning into a node, the template area is first checked to see if it's in use (is isNode set?) and then to see if the template is being used for the destination requested. If the template is already open to the correct destination, then PCs *do* transition into an active, occupied area.

If not, an alternative template is looked for (or spawned if I ever get around to NwNx :-P ). If no suitable alternative is found the transition is blocked temporarily (1st choice is to detour to a random encounter, second is to say "Sorry, astral plain all fouled up" or some such ;-).

<...to have his cake and eat it, too>
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Rolo Kipp, 12 novembre 2012 - 04:01 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_henesua]

               Rolo, script wise I have made the improvement by enabling the coordinates to be a portion of the tag, and region to be a portion of the tag. I also check the destination area to determine size of that area, but not made use of that yet. The idea is that if you are transitioning from a small area to a large area, it figures out what to do. I need to get to work on this aspect in a bit. Many different scenarios in which I can make use of that.

Example: enter a 32x32 area from a region of 8x8 areas... could use it to determine where along one of the edges of the dest area you show up. If moving in the opposite direction, determine which area and where in said area you show up.

I have also adjusted the blue prints so that the following works:
(1) Creatures can follow across the transition
(2) The trigger is visible just as any other transition is.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par henesua, 10 novembre 2012 - 04:56 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Frimbleglim]

               I've been wandering for a while about making an extra-dimensional forest area that allows players who know the routes to travel across a game world at great speed while leaving others lost and bewildered and swamped by random encounters.  Kind of like the webway in warhammer 40K.  I think it should be easy to implement using one way area transitions and a few scripts though so I'm not sure it would count as custom content.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <looking stern...>

Well, I've given my opinion on this in the past. <don't let that stop you, boss>
I wont. <didn't think so>
If you create something new, be it new effects, new spells or a new method of making travel interesting, it is custom content and it enriches the world.

So please *do* count it ;-)

Hmmmm... Your forest idea rubs up against something KlatchainCoffee is working on and reminds me a lot of the forest between the worlds in the C.S. Lewis books.  Also a viable way to implement tree-walking or transport by plants spell, eh?  And might be adapted for shadow-walking or water-walking or artic-lichen-walking, for that matter ;-)

Definitely worthwhile!

<...but feeling delighted>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Karvon]

               would like to see some small walkable boats like canoes, rafts and longboats.