The Adventurers' Guild

dulsi · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 76

Bt Builder is an open source implementation of the Bard's Tale Construction Set. It is still very early in development. The file formats have been deciphered but no editor has been developed. The game interface is incomplete but started. For example the review board and combat are not implemented yet.

I've been developing under Linux. It shouldn't be hard to port to Windows if someone want to.

My goal is to remove the limitations of the BTCS. I'd like to be able to reimplement all three of the Bard's Tale game using it. (I don't know that I will but I hope to have the capability to do so.) Because of that it implements some features like the older games instead of BTCS.

For more information see the web site.

http://www.identicalsoftware.com/btbuilder/

Austrid · Joined: 25 Jul 2007 Posts: 10

dulsi · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 76

Darendor · Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2009 4:48 am Post subject:

How is this project coming along, anyways?
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dulsi · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 76

I haven't had much time to work on it. Other projects have taken my attention and my new baby doesn't help.

Cpt_Vodka · Joined: 28 Jan 2009 Posts: 17

That's sad. I would like have seen an improved BTCS...

Methuselas · Joined: 28 Apr 2009 Posts: 45

That's a mock up I did of the Main Screen, yesterday. I've also got wall and door tiles done for a Dungeon, Catacombs and Sewers. I'm hoping that you can add multiple wall and door tiles to each set. If I get a chance to talk to Dulsi tonite I'll see if that's indeed the case. It doesn't take me that long at all to build 2D tiles for Pseudo 3D games. Sadly, I don't have a Windows EXE to test these, myself, so I have to send them to him.

I'm going to try and change that, real soon, however.

-M
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Methuselas · Joined: 28 Apr 2009 Posts: 45

Here's the current Tile Maps I've done for the Sewers, the Catacombs and a Dungeon/Castle.

Lemme know if you like. I'd really like Dulsi to finish this project. The more we encourage him, the bigger chance we have of him getting back on the saddle with it. I guess I've signed on as a graphics developer. XD

And, just so you know, I'm currently speaking with my friend, who's estatic about the mockups I showed her and she may be willing to do a windows port. I'll let you know, if she says yes.

-M
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"Using No Way as Way; Having No Limitation As Limitation". - Bruce Lee.

Marco · Joined: 10 Dec 2007 Posts: 61

Very nice. I definitely want to see this now.

Marco.

ZeroZero · Joined: 10 Mar 2009 Posts: 196 Location: Germany

Of course we have seen the BT builder project, however there is nothing on the page after sometime in 2007. I refer in one of my posts to the BT builder.
The goal of our group however is NOT, to utilize the crappy BTCS, which exists anyway only for MSDOS and AMIGA, but to use the original engine of BT3 for the C64 to create campaigns within these engine. The BT3 engine has none of those stupid limitations BTCS has (e.g. you cannot create an APAR spell in BTCS, maps only 22x22 etc etc).
So our project will not interfere with the BT builder, whichs biggest innovation imho is to unpack the MSDOS graphic files (the pack routine however is missing afaik in the package that can be downloaded from the website).
Darendor, Twoflower and me will continue to try to make a full editor for the BT3 engine on the C64, but at least I will have a look then and now on the progress of BT builder, now that I know that it was not dropped in 2007, as I thought since there were 2 years no news.
Maybe we can work together in some points.

Methuselas · Joined: 28 Apr 2009 Posts: 45

It's my understanding that Dulsi is coding the BT Builder, from scratch. Since I do not own a C64 (I'm an Amiga man, myself), I don't know how much use I would be to you. That does not mean, however that I am saying no. I just don't have access to a C64, nor would I know of an emu to use to offer service. About the only thing I could do would be beta testing and graphics.....

Also, it's possible to trick the BTCS into making bigger maps for cities. You just have to use specials. For example, in one game I was building, which I never did finish, the city was built up in 4 22x22 grids. 3 were seamless transitions through specials and the last one, which was over-run by powerful monsters was blocked off by a city guard special. If you didn't care a city guard writ (there are no global flags in BTCS....), they would refuse entrance.

There are some caveats on using tile maps like this. The engine for BT assumes that all tiles are double-sided, meaning if it's on one side, it's on the other. There's no way to prevent this that I know of, though I'm sure it's possible to code, so these were designed to be used on walls where you won't see the other side or on walls where the opposite side was supposed to be uniform.

The city tiles are going to be the biggest one of all. For those, I plan on building low poly models for several houses, so I can render them out and paint them in Photoshop. That I know of, there's going to be individual models for Roscoes, Garths, the Review Board, Temples, Castles and Towers, Taverns, Banks, Casinos and Stables. I'll also make generic house tiles that have signs for lodging, food, supplies, magic, etc.
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"Using No Way as Way; Having No Limitation As Limitation". - Bruce Lee.

Methuselas · Joined: 28 Apr 2009 Posts: 45

Current work on the Crypt Tiles.
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"Using No Way as Way; Having No Limitation As Limitation". - Bruce Lee.

dulsi · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 76

Chaney · Joined: 27 Jun 2006 Posts: 96 Location: California

Did you ever finish Nutilan?
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dulsi · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 76