Bt Builder

[Methuselas]

Manual's updated (again.) Skill section is almost completely filled out. Should get you started on making new skills.


Oh, Dulsi. Concerning treasure. I've been thinking about drops. Why can't we just use the shop format for a Treasure.xml file? Basically it follows the format below.

<Level><id><item><id><count></item></Level>

id = Dungeon Level or Item number in Item.xml
Count = Limits the number of items found. So if you want Chain Mail on level 1, but only want 2 suits available, you put the count to 2. -1 is unlimited.

Finally, in each Dungeon.xml You have two elements to modify:

<TreasurePercent> = Percent chance of finding Treasure during combat per Monster. Default 5.
<MaxTreasure> = Maximum number of items that can be found per combat. Default 2.

or

Do TreasurePercent/MaxTreasure like you do with Wandering Monsters. 5% for 1 item, 4% for 2 items, etc.

[Methuselas]

Dulsi, is there a way to create just a blank Monster, Spell and Map file? Item file is easy. It's just an xml with a data element. The others, well, I've never gotten a working blank one correctly. My Dungeon Map files have problems with walls. It doesn't display the walltype in the editor. It's a blank line. Spell and Monster, I just want to start with a completely clean xml.

[sombunall]

Holy cow. You guys are making such progress it is making my head spin.

So the counter is global not local. I think you said you can't give gold in an xml file so my idea of a master treasure script won't work. Maybe that give random treasure after random combat idea is what I'm looking for. I think it's simple without getting into complicated treasure classes. Can just make custom treasure for custom encounters (and with the new copy/paste it won't be so bad. I wonder if it remembers the clipboard across specials? Not enough time in RL to test the new version grrr).

[Methuselas]

Holy cow. You guys are making such progress it is making my head spin.

So the counter is global not local. I think you said you can't give gold in an xml file so my idea of a master treasure script won't work. Maybe that give random treasure after random combat idea is what I'm looking for. I think it's simple without getting into complicated treasure classes. Can just make custom treasure for custom encounters (and with the new copy/paste it won't be so bad. I wonder if it remembers the clipboard across specials? Not enough time in RL to test the new version grrr).

u

No, you can't give gold or items through an xml file (which is why temples and taverns need to be made by specials, not xml files much to my dismay. ) My idea was simply taking something that's already established in the engine and making it do something else. If the Treasure.xml follows the same format as the Shops, it's easier to implement.

Oh and to answer your question, the copy paste functions work between specials on the same map. I haven't tested it, yet, with using more than one map. I've hit a bit of a snag, 'cos my dungeon.xmls seem to be buggy or something. I can't change their walltypes and they're all blank.

[Methuselas]

Dulsi,

Som, just brought something to my attention. Counters are global, not local. Anyway we can get a Counter $$ setup, instead of just the regular Counter? That way, we can have global counters that are separate from the default one. If you don't put in a String, it adds/subtracts/clears the default Counter.

[Methuselas]

Dulsi, in my shared folder is a "Blank Map.xml." Could you check it and explain why the walltypes are blank? It's made off your small.xml, but for some reason, every map I've made off it, the walltypes don't show up under the preferences.

[dulsi]

Dulsi, in my shared folder is a "Blank Map.xml." Could you check it and explain why the walltypes are blank? It's made off your small.xml, but for some reason, every map I've made off it, the walltypes don't show up under the preferences.

It seems to work fine for me under linux. You do have two square tags while the map is only one square. Try deleting the second square tag and see if it works.

[Methuselas]

Dulsi, in my shared folder is a "Blank Map.xml." Could you check it and explain why the walltypes are blank? It's made off your small.xml, but for some reason, every map I've made off it, the walltypes don't show up under the preferences.

It seems to work fine for me under linux. You do have two square tags while the map is only one square. Try deleting the second square tag and see if it works.

Square tag? I'm not following you.

[Methuselas]

Okay, I got it. I changed the X and Y size by one on all my modules and that fixed it. With the blank map, I had to remove the square, set it to 0 x 0 and it's back to normal. I'll update the blank map in my shared folder, when I have a chance.

Curious, though, 'cos before, it was fine and then, all of the sudden, it just stopped working. I'm glad I found out what the problem was.

[Methuselas]

Manual's been updated.

Added blank Dungeon Map and Item xml instructions. Will add Spell instructions later. Added instructions for making sure Dungeon Maps don't have blank tilesets. (I found out what the problem was using older versions of BTBuilder. When you added the numbering for the Map Editor, something broke, more than likely due to using a 0 value for X and Y. Basically, a map needs to be 1 less to not cause problems. So a map that's 22 x22 grids is actually 21 x 21, including 0.) Cleaned up some of the text.

In my shared folder is a new !Blank_Map, !Blank_item and !Blank_spell file. You can use these if you want to have clean xml files to work from. I haven't yet figured out how to make a blank Monster xml. Any suggestions, Dulsi? All the ways I've tried have failed, with the engine attempting to brute force open the Map Editor and then crashing.

Dulsi, I'm going to start converting all the new picture slots I've done to all the supported resolutions. I'll add zip archives to my shared folder, when I have them ready for release. I'm going to leave the ones with the "_" extension in the folder, so if people want to use them, right now, they can rename them.

Now, I can't do it right now, due to my external HDD controller dying, but with regards to light functions and horizon maps, I can create horizon1, horizon2, horizon3, etc that will change based on light parameters, if so coded. So, horizon1 shows 1 map grid distance, horizon2 shows 2 map grid distance, up to 4, which is the limit on the furthest tileset. I can do this now, by cheating in photoshop, but I'll eventually just want to render them, for lighting purposes.

Do you want me to start making horizon distance maps for lighting? I'll see about making night time city tiles, if you want to look into working on that subset of the code.


Oh, Caars and Som, are you guys (or gals - no chauvinists we!) cool with me checking the specials in your Modules for ones that I can add to the manual for the "Sample Special Squares" section?

[sombunall]

Oh, Caars and Som, are you guys (or gals - no chauvinists we!) cool with me checking the specials in your Modules for ones that I can add to the manual for the "Sample Special Squares" section?

Sir I salute your efforts in the documentation. It's boring work.

You can check my module for samples but the random monsters with random treasure encounter scripts are an example of bad coding due to the clunkiness of IF / THEN. I suggest you use Caars's scripts with counters which are easier to read and easily expandable. You can put it in your manual as an example of 'what not to do' kind of thing.

I am pretty busy these days so my attendance won't be so good.

[Methuselas]

Sir I salute your efforts in the documentation. It's boring work.

It's not so bad. I've done a lot of writing for tech manuals and a couple of game manuals. I need to get off my ass and start building the frame for InDesign, so it actually looks like a manual and not a text file. I just have too much stuff to re-write, since most of the definitions are still straight from the BTCS manual.

You can check my module for samples but the random monsters with random treasure encounter scripts are an example of bad coding due to the clunkiness of IF / THEN. I suggest you use Caars's scripts with counters which are easier to read and easily expandable. You can put it in your manual as an example of 'what not to do' kind of thing.

I am pretty busy these days so my attendance won't be so good.

Thank you, Sir. I'm looking for all types of specials, really. I want to make the manual as robust as possible, for future builders. Honestly, I really wish I knew how many downloads of the Manual were done.

Good luck with what's going on in your life. Hope to see you back soon!

[Methuselas]

Dulsi,

There's zip files in the images folder for the picture slots I've done. 320 and 640. I left the "_" extensions. You can use those files in the job.xml. I'll add that tidbit to the manual in a bit. I have some other stuff to add.

[caars]

Oh, Caars and Som, are you guys (or gals - no chauvinists we!) cool with me checking the specials in your Modules for ones that I can add to the manual for the "Sample Special Squares" section?

Sorry for the late reply. I've been dealing with a death in the family (the short, unexpected illness in someone too young variety) and have been preoccupied...

Yes, please feel free to utilize whatever specials I've written as examples in the manual if you are so inclined. I intend for anything I've done or written for BT Builder to be completely "open" so have at it.

Oh, and not that it actually matters here, but in the interest of pronoun simplicity ... I'm male.

[Methuselas]

Sorry for the late reply. I've been dealing with a death in the family (the short, unexpected illness in someone too young variety) and have been preoccupied...

My condolences. The death of a loved one is never easy. I hope they're singing with the elves in the halls of Valinor.

Yes, please feel free to utilize whatever specials I've written as examples in the manual if you are so inclined. I intend for anything I've done or written for BT Builder to be completely "open" so have at it.

Oh, and not that it actually matters here, but in the interest of pronoun simplicity ... I'm male.

It's appreciated. I wanted to use your trap special as a trap sample and unique approach to using counters. It is also the reason I've asked for $$ counters as a special command, so we could have a Trap counter. I started working on something similar using Tags. I have a pretty awesome modular tavern in the works.

Dulsi,

I have Depth of Field ready for horizons, if you want to use lights. Since the Engine uses 0 for no lights and 5 for max light, I have the DOF set to 1, 2, 3,4 and _horizon (the default), so if you have an item or spell that has light of 1, it uses _horizon1 and so on.

If you want, I can send you a test batch for the city, so you can implement the code, or you can wait til I have the rest done. I have to do 40 or so.