Churl

Is there any way to alter the XP awarded for killing a creature? This seems like a very basic question, but I haven't seen any reference to this in either the editor manual, or the Spiderweb/Lyceum boards.

I really like TextPad for Windows; others swear by UltraEdit . EDIT: Both are commercial products. (I know that the original question was about Mac-based text editors, but I just thought I'd throw out a few more names for the Windows crowd.)

Great! This is all very useful — I'm especially glad to know the code size/line count caps. I thought of another obvious one: Maximum number of 48x48 outdoor segments = 100. (For the sake of completeness, we should include even the well-known limits.) Sometime this weekend, since I have to get out the door right now, I'll compile what's here into a preliminary list. If more are posted, they can be incorporated later. Thanks, everyone … keep ’em coming!

While reading the manual and this forum, I learned the maxima for things like towns (200) and dialogue nodes within a town (also 200). I think it would be worthwhile to compile a "list of limits": i.e., the most of any type of thing (items, creatures, dialogue node text strings, ...) that can be incorporated into a scenario, town, etc. Even if these are stated plainly in the manuals or the appendix, it would be useful to have them in one place. If anyone doesn't know a particular maximum here, then maybe someone else does. If there's sufficient response to this topic, I'll check back periodically and tabulate the list as it grows. (Does this sound useful, or just crazy?) I've looked, but I can't find a comprehensive list like this. So, if you can think of any counts — and, if you know them for certain, their maxima — please post them here.

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far. I've found that the first step in learning a programming language is to find out what it can and can't do. (…Followed, of course, by finding out how to make it do what it can do.)

As Degarne Htils said, you can create BoA script files in just about any text editor, as long as it allows you to save files as unformatted text. From the manual, section 2.1: "On a Macintosh, scripts can be edited using SimpleText, BBEdit, or any other text editor. On Windows, scripts can be edited using NotePad or WordPad. Make sure the script is saved as regular text (not, say, in Microsoft Word format) or Blades of Avernum won’t be able to understand it." In case you were wondering where to save the script files, they should go in the directory that contains the scenario file you're working on. Again, from the manual: "All of the scripts for a scenario must be in the same folder as the scenario (not in any subfolders). The game will only be able to find the scripts if they are in the same folder as the actual scenario file."

Wow: long time, no post. Between getting married, moving into a new place, starting a new job, and — most importantly — trying to master the BoA editor and Avernumscript , there hasn’t been much time for anything else. I’ve spent as much time as I could spare with the BoA editor and manual, but right now I think I’m missing something: namely, a way to simulate user-defined functions as they behave in other programming languages. First off (to avoid “RTFM” responses) I realize several things: 1. Certain script states can be called from multiple places to do things. 2. SDFs can be used to simulate integer arguments to “function” states. 3. ...Just as they can be used to hold integer values “returned” from “function” states. I’m unclear on the scope of states and variables, however. For instance: 1. STATES: The appendix states that you can use run_scenario_state(short which_node) to call scenario states — presumably anywhere. Likewise, it states that you can use run_town_script(short which_node) from dialogue, creature, or terrain scripts. My question is this: is the reverse possible? That is, 1.a. Can scenario scripts call town script states? If so, I imagine that only the current town’s states can be called because no other towns’ scripts are in memory. (Correct?) 1.b. Can town scripts invoke other towns’ script states? (I’m guessing not, for the same not-in-memory reason.) 1.c. Can scenario or town scripts call states in terrain and creature scripts? I imagine that all of the above can be accomplished indirectly with a combination of SDFs and messaging, but I wanted to know if I’m on the right track. 2. VARIABLES: I declared and set a variable in a scenario script, but when I tried to use that value in the code block of a town’s dialogue node, it was unrecognized. 2.a. Are SDFs the only “global variables” available for use? 2.b. If so, how can we fake passing string “arguments” to and from “function” states? I imagine that the string buffer could be used for this purpose, but does the buffer retain its contents between states and scripts? E.g., say a town state begins to populate the buffer with “Churl ”, and then calls a scenario script state which appends “is confused” to the buffer before return. What string would be assigned by get_buffer_text when called by the town script after all of that? Despite my best efforts toward due diligence, I’m sure that some (if not all) of my questions deserve “RTFM” responses. If so, please be gentle, and please simply point me to where I can R it in T Fing M.

Nye wrote: Quote: Hey - just make a fanfic. Ugh, don’t give anyone ideas, Nye. I can just imagine the Frrrrrr / Cheeseball slash now…

I like the idea of a book concerning the history of Exile/Avernum. Whether or not Jeff would do this (not to mention the commercial viability of such a project) is anybody’s guess. But — and I say this only half-jokingly — if anyone gets Jeff sidetracked on a project that delays the release of BoA, heads will roll!