Bt Builder

[Methuselas]

I finally got around to getting the outfit I wanted to use for the default female warrior image.

[Methuselas]

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwpB_ ... ExyQVNBSW8


Merry Christmas! Just unarchive and drop into your BTBuilder Main Folder.


006 - Horned Warrior: I always disliked the original picture I used. I saw them more as raiders. I realized I had it in the list twice, so I replaced this one with a new and better image and left the other one, where it was, but relabeled it "Raider."

022 - Thief: I didn't like the original animation, so it wasted mb. I just replaced it with a quick render I was using for my module.

030 - Male Warrior: This is from my module. Some post work, but not rendered with Iray. I never got the materials tweaked right.

031 - Male Paladin: Another from my module. In my modules warriors were replaced with "Mercenaries" and paladins were "Knights." Eventually, you would have been able to change class to one of the 4 Chapters of the Paladin Order, but the idea was scrapped, due to the fact that BTBuilder had no way of changing a character's class.

075 - Female Warrior: I wanted this outfit for a while. It was on sale, so I bought it and it's texture expansion pack. It's got post work and rendered in Iray, but once again, the materials aren't perfect. Nonetheless, this was an outstanding render.

122-125 Male Elf Rangers: These are renders I did for my module. Most of these were planned NPCs that never saw the light of day. All have post work and are rendered using Iray, but some of the materials aren't set for Iray.

148 Drow Female: Another Merc from my module. (You should hire them in bars and they would adventure with you, until you returned to the bar or guild, at which point they would leave.)

165, 169, 170 and 181 Paladin Order Chapters: These were the default picture for each of the four Chapters of the Paladin Order. Each Chapter had different spell realms to choose from and once a Chapter was chosen, that particular image became the default picture for their class. Alas, I was unable to change classes in specials, so these languished. No post work, rendered in 3Delight.

167 Warlord: Another image from my module. Post work and rendered in Iray.

171 Knight: A default knight I was using as an NPC in my module. Post work, rendered in Iray.

173 Templar: Since I replaced the paladin image in my module with the one above, I moved the Templar image to where it belongs. Post work, rendered in 3Delight.

178 Female Warrior: My original image for the Female Warrior. I bumped this one down the line, when I finally bought the costume I wanted to use. I saw this one as the lithe warrior, similar to Arya Stark from the Song of Fire and Ice Novels/Game of Thrones. No post work, rendered in 3Delight.

382 Scorpion Warrior: This was a test render I did for sub bosses in a catacombs in my module. Each level would have had 1 of 4 Warriors to do battle with, before having to fight the Catacombs King. No post work, rendered in 3Delight.

383-386 Paladin Order Chapter Masters: These are the individual leaders of each Chapter in the Paladin Order. Originally, I had it to where you would do jobs for the Chapters and they would offer to take a knight character into their Order. If you accepted, the Chapter Master would change your class to that particular Chapter Paladin and so forth. I rendered expressions for my module, to make the Masters seem alive during conversations (Talking to NPCs was similar to the Ultima games). I did not include those images, nor did I render the animated expression. No post work, except the Red Chapter Master (I never named the individual Chapters.) Rendered in 3Delight, except for the Red Chapter Master, who was rendered in Iray.

[Methuselas]

Caars,

is this acceptable? It's a silver dragon, but I figured you could still use it for a white one.

[caars]

Caars,

is this acceptable? It's a silver dragon, but I figured you could still use it for a white one.

Looks great! I agree, seems to me it would work just great for a white dragon (in fact, if you hadn't mentioned silver on a cursory glance I would have just assumed it was white...)

[dulsi]

Right now it displays poison, stoned, death, etc. badly. It writes the text over the character's name but that makes it unreadable as the letters mix together. I was icons would be easier to understand.

I've played around with the idea of using icons. I don't have an image of the result at the moment. The next release will allow you to have an icon instead of text. For example instead of:

Code: Select all

		<checkBit>
			<attribute>status</attribute>
			<bit>0</bit>
			<print>
				<text>-DEAD-</text>
				<position><x>8</x><y>0</y><w>48</w><h>8</h></position>
				<align>right</align>
				<color>red</color>
			</print>
		</checkBit>

You can do:

Code: Select all

		<checkBit>
			<attribute>status</attribute>
			<bit>0</bit>
			<statusIcon>
				<image>ui/pocketchip/icons/gravestone.png</image>
				<position><x>8</x><y>0</y><w>48</w><h>8</h></position>
			</statusIcon>
		</checkBit>

Will the next release make use of this? I don't know. I'm not pleased with the gravestone image I created. I may add it in so Methuselas can see how it works. Or maybe I'll just make it available separately.

I'm also looking at adding a development flag to modules. I want to be able to hide some modules that are being worked on. So if I hand my pocketchip to someone they only see the modules I want them to see. Probably not that important of a feature.

[Methuselas]

Right now it displays poison, stoned, death, etc. badly. It writes the text over the character's name but that makes it unreadable as the letters mix together. I was icons would be easier to understand.

I've played around with the idea of using icons. I don't have an image of the result at the moment. The next release will allow you to have an icon instead of text. For example instead of:

Code: Select all

		<checkBit>
			<attribute>status</attribute>
			<bit>0</bit>
			<print>
				<text>-DEAD-</text>
				<position><x>8</x><y>0</y><w>48</w><h>8</h></position>
				<align>right</align>
				<color>red</color>
			</print>
		</checkBit>

You can do:

Code: Select all

		<checkBit>
			<attribute>status</attribute>
			<bit>0</bit>
			<statusIcon>
				<image>ui/pocketchip/icons/gravestone.png</image>
				<position><x>8</x><y>0</y><w>48</w><h>8</h></position>
			</statusIcon>
		</checkBit>

Will the next release make use of this? I don't know. I'm not pleased with the gravestone image I created. I may add it in so Methuselas can see how it works. Or maybe I'll just make it available separately.

I'm also looking at adding a development flag to modules. I want to be able to hide some modules that are being worked on. So if I hand my pocketchip to someone they only see the modules I want them to see. Probably not that important of a feature.

Give me a list of all the icons you need and the sprite size. I'll see about what I can do to make new icons. Hold off on doing a release, though. Do a beta release. I have another 20 or so images to do post processing on. I just haven't gotten around to doing it. Mostly magic users and a few replacement dragons (I didn't like the red and black one, so I redid them - they look more like the D&D ones, instead of using the same sculpt with different textures.) I'm playing with the idea of replacing all the animations with static images, to reduce the file size of the BTBuilder archive. I may look into redoing the animations, but only using every 4th or 6th frame to reduce the file size. We'll see how it goes.

Windoze Updates trashed my system and killed my USB for some reason. I had to do a complete reinstall to alleviate it. I'm tempted to just bite the bullet and go back to using Linux. Ubuntu is getting more and more robust, but I'm still tied to Windows, due to software that requires it. I just got Adobe CS reinstalled, but still haven't bothered with Maya.

Oh, BTBuilder officially supports 1920x1600....... (sort of). I haven't gotten all the images converted, but I did manage to get it to load, using the screens I've already done.

[Methuselas]

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwpB_ ... ExyQVNBSW8

New art pack

Adds images for the base Conjurer/Magician images (both male and female), a new orc image, an image for Roscoe, a new Red Dragon and Black Dragon image, a Grey/Silver/White Dragon, Elven Thief, Warrior, a bald Mage, a new ninja image, a female druid and finally, a Doppleganger (I always wanted Dulsi to add in code for dopplegangers, but you can use this image as undead or something.) 17 new images, in total. An updated imagetag.xml is included.

Enjoy.

[Methuselas]

Succubus



Erinyes


*coughs* Multiple attacks for mobs please *coughs*

[caars]

Very nice! You know, I might end up actually using the Erinyes as a half-dragon instead (it definitely strikes me as having a "draconic" appearance to it).

I have been messing around with the idea of simulating "multiple spells" through tags, although nothing really useable has come from it yet.

(In effect, I use events to secretly assign random tags to party members - at least that is how it is supposed to work. Rather than using "player" spells, monster 'casters use specialized "monster only" versions that actually have multiple "effect only" effects . So the combat screen just says "Conjurer casts a spell..." and what the spell actually does depends on who it targets (i.e. what tag they currently have). Gives kind of an illusion of the spellcaster choosing from different spells (until you realize that the "magicians are only withering this guy, only doing damage to this guy, and only worsening the AC of this guy").

Like I said, not something I'm happy with right now (needs work), but it does fall into the realm of my ongoing attempts to "find ways to use the editor to do things it isn't specifically designed to do"...

Another example that I *am* happy with is after a fight a chest given out a "token" which is immediately randomly replaced by an actual item - before the player gets to see the character ever had something called "Token." In effect, the "Token" is a marker that the character is supposed to get a random item immediately after the chest event is done. Why do it this way? It's to "randomize" the traps on a chest. Before, basically if a chest contained Plate Armor (for example) it would always have the exact same trap (unless I actually made the editor choose between several different chests that all gave Plate Armor but had different traps). This way of doing it simplified things - basically the chest is really randomly selecting between traps, and then always gives you a token. And then the token is immediately replaced by a random item. So traps and what the chest gives out isn't linked any more.

[Methuselas]

Another example that I *am* happy with is after a fight a chest given out a "token" which is immediately randomly replaced by an actual item - before the player gets to see the character ever had something called "Token." In effect, the "Token" is a marker that the character is supposed to get a random item immediately after the chest event is done. Why do it this way? It's to "randomize" the traps on a chest. Before, basically if a chest contained Plate Armor (for example) it would always have the exact same trap (unless I actually made the editor choose between several different chests that all gave Plate Armor but had different traps). This way of doing it simplified things - basically the chest is really randomly selecting between traps, and then always gives you a token. And then the token is immediately replaced by a random item. So traps and what the chest gives out isn't linked any more.

Please explain how you're doing this? I'm rather frustrated that you don't find chests in dungeons after battle and the fact that random items don't drop after combat.

In other news.....

I was going to replace the previous animations I did, with static images. I started re-rendering them (so I had one in 1920x1600 to support that screen size), but I found out the batch render I bought for Daz Studio also supports rendering specific frames. So, as I test, I rendered every fourth frame of the Ogre animation to see how it worked out. This ended up reducing the animations to 19 frames, instead of 71. Then, it made me think. So, I did some math and discovered the following:

Original Ogre Animation

320 1.3 MB
640 4.8 MB
1920 -

New Ogre Animation

320 383 KB
640 1.33 MB
1920 9.74 MB


Reducing the animations to every 4th frame dramatically reduces the file size. The animation is a bit choppy, but it still looks fairly decent and I could probably clean it up more, by changing the animation speeds.

Just an idea.

[caars]

For starters, I use the counter as a "tracking variable" - I set it to zero, and then have a series of statements with a percentage chance to add 1 (or more) to the counter; this part's no different than what I've done before (and you've got an example in your guide, IIRC).

"If the combat is won" then the special uses the counter to select a chest containing an item called a "Token" and a trap (i.e. if counter = 1 then chest with token and trap#1, if counter = 2 then chest with token and trap#2, etc.).

After that, the special runs an "if anyone in the party has Token" that will call a "do special in 0 minutes" if they do (and remove the Token from the party).

The special uses a similar method (set the counter to 0 and use it as a "pseudo-die" to pick items). So, in effect, the trap on the chest is random, the party *must* open the chest to get anything, and then the item they are actually given is random as well (and can be tailored to the dungeon level).

One potential problem is the displaying saying something like "Brian gets Token" followed by "Brian gets Plane Armor" (or whatever the token was replaced with). My attempt to get around that is to put a "clear all text" right after the chest special (but before the "treasure" special) so that only the item the token was replaced with is listed. I haven't tested yet to see if that also wipes out the trap message. If it does, then my "alternate" plan is to do something like rename token "loot:" so that it looks something like:

You set off a shocker!
Brian gets loot:
Brian gets Plate Armor

[dulsi]

I keep meaning to post binaries for Methuselas but never get around to it.

btbuilder.exe
data/pocketchip/display.xml
image/ui/pocketchip/icons/gravestone.png

This shows using an icon for status it is drawn over the name of the person. It is a maximum of 8 height due to the size of the status area. There is nothing that requires it to be that height. I just haven't tried to resize the status area to give more height. Ideally all statuses like poisoned, dead, stoned, etc. would have icons. Let me know if you need more information.

[Methuselas]

The gravestone image is for DEAD, right? The only ones that work are all the base conditionals of BTBuilder/BTCS, correct? Do the status images stack or are they side-by-side over the name? I just want to make sure I know the distance, in pixels. Depending on how it functions, I may completely redesign the UI.

[dulsi]

The gravestone image is for DEAD, right? The only ones that work are all the base conditionals of BTBuilder/BTCS, correct? Do the status images stack or are they side-by-side over the name? I just want to make sure I know the distance, in pixels. Depending on how it functions, I may completely redesign the UI.

Yes that is for DEAD. It can replace the conditions you would normally see on the display. Right now it works like the current status. So if you are poisoned and dead, it only shows dead. (As I was reminded when testing something in one of the Bard Tale games. I finally saved up enough to heal a character only to watch him die again because I could cure the poison.) There is no reason it needs to be that way. It could stack them right now. It can't display them side-by-side but if you make image that would look good that way, I will add that feature.

[Methuselas]

Yeah, we're not going to want them to stack.

This is going to be a stretch, but I am thinking that a better approach to the UI is something more along the lines of the Eye of the Beholder/Wizardry series. Basically all 7 (perhaps we could up the party size to 8 ) characters are on the left and right sides, with the text box and picture in the middle. The effect icons would be on top. Each character square has a portrait (probably 64x64 - I haven't done the math yet), where the conditional icons will stack over the portrait, side by side. Then, there is a box for AC and a box for Hit Points, as well as Spell Points, then Class. I think this would be a better design for what BTBuilder is. It would be even cooler if you could specify either upon start up or within the module, the Default (BTCS) gamescreen or the Enhanced (BTBuilder) screen. I remember you talking about scaling the images, Dulsi. Is that still feasible?


I am going to build a mock up of a new user interface for the gamescreen.


Oh, does the Windows version support true-type fonts yet? Color would be awesome to use in specials and text.