Odd scripting question...

[Grabstein]

Greetings all,

I have been working on a mod to do some summoning. It will be a summoned bow that summons its own arrows. However, the trick is that it levels with you. All of it. Not too much of a problem, so far. The issues start arising, though, while attempting to script the leveling of the four enchantments on the arrows. Is it possible to script leveling enchants? I've been searching for days, to no avail. I am, also, what one might call a "novice", to scripting. Any help would be most...helpful. Thanks, in advance.

Grabstein

Lord of All

Master of None

 

EDIT: That's a leveling script *for* enchants, *not* an enchant script for leveling.

Edited February 3, 2012 by Grabstein

[David Brasher]

Knights of the Nine does this kind of thing. It gives you different gear depending on what level you happen to be at the time. So if you play Knight of the Nine early, the gear you get will start seeming pathetic and weak and you won't want to use it after awhile.

 

The method that is used, and which is used in Shivering Isles with the Amber and Madness gear, is to have a whole series of weapons or armor. Like eight different levels. They all have different stats and different enchantments. If there were eight shields, then there would be eight enchantments corresponding to the eight shields. Some are weaker and some are stronger. So what you would do is build all the enchantments and all the gear, and attach the enchantments to the gear.

 

So if you are working with arrows, then you would have multiple copies of the arrows, with different strengths of enchantments. You would summon the proper one for your level.

Edited February 4, 2012 by David Brasher

[Grabstein]

Hmm. Thanks. I figured that there was a way to script, like a formula, for the enchants to "level", as opposed to a replacing script. I'm trying to avoid a replacer script, due to the intensive, and repetitive, time spent. A cut corner, if you will. I know that there's a way to have damage, for example, actually level with you, instead of having numerous copies of a weapon. Just not as script savvy as I'd like to be...

[Lanceor]

You can set a weapon's damage via script.. though it's not saved with the savegame, so you'll need to have a quest script running to update the damage at regular intervals. Don't forget that you'll also need to update the weapon's health and weight (and speed and reach).

 

For the enchantment, you can use SetEnchantment to change the enchantment via script, but like above, it's not saved with the Savegame so your quest script has to check and update it. You'll also need to have created a different enchantment for each tier and update the number of charges available.

 

At the end of the day, it's easier to just create all the different versions of the weapon and swap them out as needed. :)

[Grabstein]

You can set a weapon's damage via script.. though it's not saved with the savegame, so you'll need to have a quest script running to update the damage at regular intervals. Don't forget that you'll also need to update the weapon's health and weight (and speed and reach).

 

For the enchantment, you can use SetEnchantment to change the enchantment via script, but like above, it's not saved with the Savegame so your quest script has to check and update it. You'll also need to have created a different enchantment for each tier and update the number of charges available.

 

At the end of the day, it's easier to just create all the different versions of the weapon and swap them out as needed. :)

Awesome! Thanks! I *knew* there was a way. The issue is that I'm planning on having the bow and arrows level, *every* level. That's almost 100 times that I'd have to dupe and *still* have to script. Just scripting seems easier, I think. I'll still need to create separate enchants, though, for every level, huh? Well, I suppose that's do-able. Again, thanks. ;)

[Lanceor]

I recently had to create 800+ different items for various upgraded Crusader Relics so I know your pain. :D

 

There IS a shortcut for the enchantment... but it does have limitations.

 

Instead of using a spell effect to cause damage, you can use a scripted effect instead. The scripted effect simply modifies the target's health downwards using whatever mathematical formula you want to calculate the damage.

 

One problem with this is that resistances, armour, blocking and even the difficulty slider have no effect on the amount of damage caused... except that targets with 100% magic resistance will take NO scripted damage at all. The second problem is that the player can't mouse over the item in their inventory to see exactly how much damage the effect does.

 

Still, clever coders will find creative ways around the game's limitations. ;)

[Grabstein]

Thanks. :)

I *do* have another question, though, now. Would it be better, or easier, to have the game check "on equip" or "on cast" since the items will be non-permanent summons, rather than a quest script?

[jaime74]

I've had to struggle a lot with quite similar problems in my mod (Blade of the Haunted).

Here's what I did to solve it (I think that this solution matches roughly what has already been stated in several posts above, so it might serve as a code example):

 

1. create separate leveled versions of the enchantment
   
2. detect the player level, then define the required enchantment plus base weapon attributes
   
3. assign the enchantment plus base weapon attributes to the weapon's base form (not the reference!)
   
4. move the code for all of this into a custom script function
   
5. ensure that the function is always invoked upon game restart/reload, so that customizations don't get lost between game sessions
   

 

Some code details (just quickly copied & pasted from my mod... might look quite fragmented and weird in this quick&dirty form, but maybe it gives some inspiration anyway):

... for 2.:

 

 

			if playerLevel < 5
			set updateLevel 			to 1
			set enchRef to BoTEnchBladeOfTheHaunted01
			set damageNewValue 			to 9
			set healthNewValue 			to damageNewValue * 15
			set reachNewValue 			to 0.8
			set speedNewValue 			to 1.2
			set rechargeFactorNewValue	to 2
			set usesNewValue 			to 9
			set chargePerUse 			to 21
		elseif playerLevel < 10
			set updateLevel 			to 5
			set enchRef to BoTEnchBladeOfTheHaunted05
			set damageNewValue 			to 11
			set healthNewValue 			to damageNewValue * 20
			set reachNewValue 			to 0.8
			set speedNewValue 			to 1.2
			set rechargeFactorNewValue	to 2.1
			set usesNewValue 			to 11
			set chargePerUse 			to 25
		elseif playerLevel < 15
			set updateLevel 			to 10
			set enchRef to BoTEnchBladeOfTheHaunted10
			set damageNewValue 			to 13
			set healthNewValue 			to damageNewValue * 25
			set reachNewValue 			to 0.8
			set speedNewValue 			to 1.2
			set rechargeFactorNewValue	to 2.2
			set usesNewValue 			to 13
			set chargePerUse 			to 39
                      [...]

 

 

... for 3. and 4.:

 

 

ScriptName MyWeaponUpdateFunction

ref playerRef
ref bladeRef

begin function {playerRef}
		[...]
                       set bladeRef to BoTBladeOfTheHauntedx1H ; this is the base object, not a reference (the variable name "bladeRef" is a bit misleading in that point)
                       [...]
                       playerRef.setAttackDamage damageNewValue bladeRef 
		playerRef.setObjectHealth healthNewValue bladeRef
		playerRef.setWeaponReach reachNewValue bladeRef 
		playerRef.setWeaponSpeed speedNewValue bladeRef 
		playerRef.setEnchantment enchRef bladeRef
		let BoT.bladeMaxCharge := chargePerUse * usesNewValue
		playerRef.setObjectCharge BoT.bladeMaxCharge bladeRef
                       [...]
end

 

 

 

... for 5.:

 

 

(inside the main quest script)

begin gameMode
       [...]
  	if getGameLoaded == 1 || getGameRestarted == 1
          call MyWeaponUpdateFunction player 
       endif
       [...]
end

 

 

[Grabstein]

Hmm. Thanks. I was *hoping* that there was a less time intensive way of scripting it. Meh. Better get started... :)

[Grabstein]

Alright. I've figured out the summoning issue. The script for the spell is

 

ScN VariousItemSummoningScript

 

Ref Self

 

Begin ScriptEffectStart

Set Self to GetSelf

If(Self.GetItemCount VariousItem == 1)

Self.RemoveItem VariousItem 1

EndIf

If(Self.GetItemCount VariousItem <= 0)

Self.AddItem VariousItem 1

Self.EquipItem VariousItem

EndIf

End

 

Begin ScriptEffectFinish

Set Self to GetSelf

If(Self.GetItemCount VariousItem == 1)

Self.RemoveItem VariousItem 1

EndIf

End

 

 

And the script for the item is

 

ScN VariousSummonedItemScript

 

Ref Self

 

Begin OnAdd

Self.AddItem VariousSummonedItem 1

Self.EquipItem VariousSummonedItem

End

 

Begin OnUnequip

Set Self to GetSelf

Disable

RemoveMe

End

 

 

However, *now* my issue is, can I just mash the summoning with the enchant leveling? Is there a certain order that things need to go in? Thanks.

 

 

 

EDIT: I *think* that I've figured out how to make a Quest Script. I'm using that, now, to add the summoning spell. Is there a particular order, in the script, that I need to have the summoning and enchant leveling?

Edited February 15, 2012 by Grabstein