Bt Builder

[Methuselas]

http://www.isourcetextures.com/catalogu ... -textures/



Caars,

If you find anything here you need for your module, let me know and I'll pick it up. Remember, you'll need 3 walls and 1 door, to complete a tileset.

[sombunall]

It looks like it's going to be hard to integrate it into my maps as I've already added new monsters, spells and items so the IDs wouldn't line up.

Actually, if you copy-paste the entire list to the end of your existing spell list, it shouldn't mess anything up (any map specials that point to a particular spell will still point to that spell).

Eheh actually it was harder than what you said although your explanation was pretty good. The thing is I am taking sample2 and building onto it and it already contains some of the spells from BTCS so I had overlap. I tried a few different things like changing the caster to "Run" or "Bard Song" to try to preserve them for later if I needed them but, for example, btbuilder gave priority to "Bard Song" over "Conjurer" so that doesn't work. I found the solution is to go in spell.xmp and simple have entries like this:

<spell>
<name>Blank</name>
</spell>
<spell>
<name>Blank</name>
</spell>
<spell>
<name>Blank</name>
</spell>
<spell>
<name>Blank</name>
</spell>

that way it keeps the same spell IDs. So now when I go into the tavern to buy a drink using Dulsi's custom made spell for giving a bard back their voice it will point to the right place. understand? When you go into the spell editor and save it chooses safe defaults for those blanks (THANK YOU DULSI!!!).

So then I just needed to change the spells like you said to point to the monsters. I also had 1 item that had an overlap and it is now happily pointing to your replacement.

I also had some overlap with the monster names so I decided to change Dulsi's monsters based on how they differed from the BT1 cannon you provided:

Wolf -> Swift Wolf
Skeleton -> Wind Skeleton (Dulsi wanted his skeletons to be an illusion)

All in all great work! These spells couldn't have come at a better time.

[sombunall]

I released Builder City Extended v0.8 in its own thread. This just in case anybody leaves their browser stuck on this thread all the time (like me!).

Thanks for the spells caars! They are in the module so it could be tried out on some unsuspecting monsters.

[sombunall]

Hmm looks like btbuilder doesn't choose the safest defaults for my blank trick. The default caster is conjurer so if an empty spell code is entered on a conjurer then they will cast the blank spell (which does nothing). I wish the default had been a non-spell casting caster like hide in shadows one or just do input validation to stop empty codes.

[caars]

Glad you like the spells! I actually have two modules I'm working on - one for when I have free time at home (and it is using a somewhat modified spell list inspired by BT3 and is my "main" module), and the other that I work on during office hours, assuming I don't have papers to grade or something similar.* That second one uses the BT1 list, so I'll be seeing how these spells work out soon enough! If anyone finds any bugs, let me know and I'll correct them.

*Might make it sound like I'm "unfocused", but the reality is that BT Builder likes to store edited module information in the user directory where it stores roster and savegame data, not in the "module/content" folder in the main program. So it ends up being much more convenient to have a "work module" and a "home module" than trying to transfer module data between those two computers over and over again.

One tip I stumbled across while working on my "home" module spell list that might also be a solution for your "duplicate spell" problem: If you set all of those duplicates that you still want to hang onto to all be Archmage Level 8 spells, they'll all get moved to the back of the list in the spell editor (and won't be castable in game). I've started using that to "store" utility spells I'm not currently using and that I don't want cluttering up my spell list.

@Methuselas: Definitely a lot of stuff at that site. I went through all 116 pages and took down some notes on things that I might be able to use. I'll let you know when I've settled on some wall/door sets.

[sombunall]

If you set all of those duplicates that you still want to hang onto to all be Archmage Level 8 spells, they'll all get moved to the back of the list in the spell editor (and won't be castable in game). I've started using that to "store" utility spells I'm not currently using and that I don't want cluttering up my spell list.

Couldn't you just use 'Critical Hit' so you don't have to change the spell level? Would keep things more intact. I'm experimenting with it now.

[sombunall]

My local variables are getting reset sometimes but I have no idea when. My question is when do local variables get reset by themselves apart from starting the module over again?

edit: I think they are getting reset for the whole module when I modify an event somewhere and save, even if it has no variables in it. I noticed that just saving a map doesn't do it.

[sombunall]

It looks like if you have more than 1 chest right after the other in an event they will all be operated on simultaneously but only display the last message one one of them. They should fire in series (bug).

[sombunall]

When no more items are in the inventory and '1' is pressed the game crashes.

[caars]

Okay ... did a major testing stint on my "home" module. The good news is everything having to do with traps is working perfectly ... I haven't found a trace of that old bug at all. Some other bugs:

*You can actually stack multiple long-running AC boosts over and over again I was under the impression that in an earlier version, dulsi had programmed in that only the latest long-running AC boost would apply; that they couldn't stack. In fact, I believe he also programmed in that only one "in combat" boost applied as well and that one *could* stack with a long-running out of combat boost - I might be wrong about that second thing. Well, in any case, they certainly stack now.

*Related to this: if you save and exit while under a long-running AC boost, when you reload, the game "forgets" you had an AC boost running (i.e. it doesn't remember the spell was running), but your AC is saved as what it was under the boost. In effect, this translates to a permanent, "stackable" boost to your AC. I now have characters whose "naked" AC is -4! (No biggie, I'm just going to go into the roster file and edit the ACs to be normal again).

*Finally, trying to trade gold crashed the program. Specifically, I was in the Review Board, brought up character info, tried to trade gold, and the program crashed. (EDIT: And I just now verified that it crashes even if you aren't in the review board; I got it to crash by trying to trade gold 'on the street')

[sombunall]

I am having the same problem in Relis Nublar. When I try to trade gold it crashes. In Builder City it doesn't crash.

[sombunall]

I am also having the strange AC problem but only in Relis Nublar. My naked AC of my characters is from 17 to -1.

Relis Nublar in its current state seems to have strange effects on the engine.

[caars]

I am also having the strange AC problem but only in Relis Nublar. My naked AC of my characters is from 17 to -1.

Relis Nublar in its current state seems to have strange effects on the engine.

That suggests it's something in the modified xml "data" files specific to my module that having weird effects - although I can't imagine what it would be. Still, I can comb through them to see what I can find.

UPDATE: Okay, I found the Trade Gold problem. Before the old thread got nuked, I reported to dulsi that Trade Gold did nothing; he put a fix in a later version of bt builder. Meanwhile, for some reason that I don't remember, I had copied over the status.xml file into the module content/bt/data folder (which allows it to override the "default" status.xml file); the version sitting in the "override" folder is actually the obsolete version.

In fact, I ultimately didn't change anything in status anyway... so if you just totally delete that file from the module's content/bt/data folder, that'll fix the problem with trade gold. Still looking for what might be causing the other issues.

UPDATE: Nothing so far. I'd guess if it's a problem with one of my files, it's either got to be my version of job.xml or skill.xml. Both are no longer neatly indented, but content-wise they seem to be fine. Still, it probably wouldn't hurt to just re-do them based on the most current versions of those files.

@sombunall: good test might be to delete job.xml and see if that fixes the issue with the naked AC. All that *should* do is lock you out of creating Chronomancers and Geomancers - and there's not enough content in that module yet for you to need those two classes.

[sombunall]

UPDATE: Nothing so far. I'd guess if it's a problem with one of my files, it's either got to be my version of job.xml or skill.xml. Both are no longer neatly indented, but content-wise they seem to be fine. Still, it probably wouldn't hurt to just re-do them based on the most current versions of those files.

Don't indent them yourself. There are editors that do it instantly for you. When you change a file with btbuilder it takes away all the carriage returns.

I just use vim:
http://ku1ik.com/2011/09/08/formatting- ... mmand.html

After install xmllint (on linux) I put this in my .vimrc

Code: Select all

# .vimrc
au FileType xml setlocal equalprg=xmllint\ --format\ --recover\ -\ 2>/dev/null

then restart vim and just have to type gg=G after loading an xml file.

[dulsi]

Pressing 1 on a blank inventory bug has been fixed. I can't reproduce any problem with trade gold so I may have already fixed that.

Bonus always stack at the moment just like BTCS. BTCS's "solution" was to make long lasting spells "unreliable" in that sometimes they end when you cast a new spell. I think that is a cope out. The "unreliability" probably comes from a array of X effects. When you cast X+1 spell, it overwrites the first spell cast.

Bt Builder will have a different approach. You will be able to turn off stacking. When enabled only one spell of type X against target Y will be active at a time. So if you cast YMCA twice, you only get the effect once. If however you cast YMCA and a single target Armor Bonus spell, both will apply to that user. The reason I haven't implemented it yet is because it is a little trickier than that. You really want one bonus and one penalty to apply. You want the penalty spell to not cause the shield icon to appear. I've started putting the infrastructure in to make this work. If I can't finish this in the next day or two, I'll release a new build with the fixes I currently have.