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Max Power

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Curious Artila

Curious Artila (3/17)

  1. Quote: Originally written by The Paladin Izzannor: I'm not sure that would work... If you could find a way, it might, but I don't see it. TPI, are you saying that it won't work, unless I can get it to work, in which case it will? Ah.
  2. Perhaps you are mistaken, because I just used the built-in journal to get past Eldiran's graveyard puzzle in Cave of No Return. I clicked "Record" whilst reading a book and lo it was recorded. EDIT: A related question: is it possible to put things into a player's journal without having them click "Record"? For example, could I have a special encounter that said "This is fascinating; you jot it down in your journal", after which the relevant information would be written into their journal?
  3. You could encode the string into a series of SDFs using some kind of cryptography algorithm. This is just a matter of transforming the string of characters into a string of numbers, then storing those numbers in some ingenious way. How many different values can an SDF take? It might take a lot of SDFs to store any kind of long string, but it's theoretically doable. EDIT: I just re-read this and realized I'm completely wrong. Unless you have some way of actually examining the contents of the input string (beyond a simple boolean comparison with some other string), then this won't work.
  4. Re: scripts on items not carrying over between scenarios... Do you mean only that the contents of the container wouldn't be preserved? Because I'd be willing to accept that. Or do you mean that even if character X had a backpack in one scenario, it wouldn't show up in his inventory in another scenario, even if it had a non-custom graphic (hmm. which one?) and the custom script had been copied over?
  5. If the custom item (i.e., the backpack) had its own script, couldn't you just copy that script over into all of the scenarios in your game folder, and then your backpack-toting characters would be free to move among them? Or am I completely misunderstanding how custom items work?
  6. One of the drawbacks of playing a singleton is constantly running out of inventory space. Once you’ve got food, lockpicks, a few key potions/scrolls/wands, maybe an alternate weapon ... you have very few spots for loot. I gave up on potion-making a long time ago because the reagents just take up too much space. What I need is a backpack. Or a scroll tube, or a potion bag, or a reagent pouch. Or a pack mule. All of these are WAY beyond my (pathetic) coding skills, but surely it can be done? Maybe something like Capture Soul – Simulacrum, but with items. Or maybe there’s a way to trick the script into stacking dissimilar items. Anyone have any ideas?
  7. Quote: Originally written by Modvark: Now im thinking about a simple beat your way through a dessert ... Toxic custard? Killer cake? The Pie That Ate Avernum?
  8. I made a similar enquiry a couple of weeks ago (see the thread "A Modest Proposal" on this board) and met with a lot of resistance to the idea of teaming up. There are a lot of reasons why collaborations usually won't work for this sort of project. But having said that, Prophet_of_Doom and I are getting one off the ground as we speak. Er, type. You know. As-yet unnamed, a murder mystery ... with a twist. But it'll be a while yet.
  9. I agree--an excellent article. I'd like to (humbly) add one thing, though: be extremely judicious. Cutscenes can be great at the beginning of a sequence (e.g., to give a history) or at a natural break in the scenario (like a chapter break, or right after the climactic battle), but too many, too-long or ill-timed cutscenes can disrupt the flow of the story.
  10. Quote: Originally written by *i: ... there is no real incentive other than the warm fuzzy feeling of accomplishment and reading praising e-mails. And yet scenarios do get finished. Is there more incentive to finish a project alone? I can see that there might be less incentive to finish a collaborative project because, i) you have to relinquish some measure of creative control, which can dampen the thrill of creation; ii) it would be easier to lose momentum, with more potential bottlenecks to progress; and iii) you ultimately have to share the glory. On the other hand, i) you get the thrill of co-creation and scope for surprises in what direction the project takes; ii) participants can help each other through stalls (e.g., if you hate writing dialogue, find a collaborator who loves it); and iii) you ulitmately get to share the glory. I bow before the assembled wisdom of the Elder Aranea—I have no doubt that you’ve seen this approach fail miserably, and the lone-wolf model certainly works for many of you—but I still want to try it. When collaborations work, they work in spades. So assuming that someone wanted to try a collaborative effort, what do you think would be the key to making it work?
  11. You mean I’m not the first person to have this brilliant idea? Sigh. Well, my proposal is still out there if someone wants to take a gamble and at least listen to my plot. It’s probably better described as smallish than medium-sized; could be done with 5 towns, would be more fun with more like 8-10. Plot-driven, like I said, but with at least one very unusual fight sequence and a couple of I-hope-never-been-done-before challenging plot twists. And as assurances that I’ll hold up my end of the bargain: I’m Canadian and a Mac user and a shareware supporter. How can you go wrong?
  12. You all make very good points. I’ve never built a collaborative scenario (nor any other kind, for that matter), but I’ve done my share of collaborative writing and I agree—it’s hard. There are many many bad models for collaboration, some of which are listed very poignantly above (thanks, Jeff). But when a collaboration works out, the product can be miles better than either could have produced alone. I have a particularly frustrating example on the go right now, actually: a paper that has been alternately stalled and putting along for over a year now because the various collaborators (myself included) have more pressing things to do, but I’m determined to see it through and when it’s done, modesty aside, it’s going to be a spectacular piece of work. I have to disagree completely with TMR’s blanket statement that "Group projects bring both people down." This CAN be the case, and I don’t doubt that’s been your experience, but it doesn’t have to work that way. I’d also like to challenge the statement (but not to name names, let’s call the author "*j") that "no scenario designer I know wants to invest time in someone else's idea." I hereby challenge the Spiderweb community to produce a successful collaborative scenario. I know it can be done. Divide the effort however you want, but I’m talking about a project with roughly equal contribution from all participants. Maybe I can come up with a prize. Frankly, I’m a bit surprised at the unified front you folks are presenting on this issue. Is this a reflection of a prevalent "lone-wolf hacker" mentality, or simply a lack of good examples?
  13. Thank you both for your constructive comments. Quote: Originally written by Kelandon: Collaborations have, on the whole, not been very successful (at least in BoE). I'm curious: what have been the problems?
  14. Hello all, Long-time lurker, first-time poster with a proposition: I have plans for a medium-sized scenario, plot-driven (a murder mystery), with a few novelties and quirks to keep players on their toes. I have planned out the plot arc(s), the main characters and some key dialogue, and I have rough sketches of how the towns will be. Unfortunately, I have had to accept that I am never going to have the time to put this scenario into code. So I need a partner. Is anyone out there interested in collaborating on this? I need someone who has a pretty good handle on Avernumscript because I really don’t have time to help with the coding at all. I’ll write all the dialogue, plan out the towns and encounters, etc., and of course help with the testing. Anyone?
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