A4 - Editing the Game files

[Peter Principle]

WARNING: This thread contains information about modifying your game files. If you modify your game, it may change in ways you don't expect or want. These modifications are not designed or supported by Spiderweb Software. Use at your own risk.

 

Which Avernum 4 file(s) do I edit to change how many skill points knowledge crystals & potions give?

 

Is there a guide somewhere to changing game parameters through changing script files somewhere?

Edited December 27, 2015 by Lilith
added warning

[Quiconque]

There is not a guide, although there may be advice scattered throughout this message board. There are three files you will want to look at in the scripts folder, which should begin "gf1" or "g3" or something like that. the items/chars one is the one you want. Most of the entries are pretty self-explanatory, just find the one for the item you want to edit, find the attribute that looks like it affects ability power, and change it.

 

And for the love of god, do this on a complete copy of the game folder, as it affects the whole application.

[The Mystic]

I'd tell you, but I don't know myself; however, here's one way you can at least find the right file.

 

I'm assuming you want to change the actual item definition, so just find where the item is defined and change it. Search the "Scrpits" folder to find the text "begindefineitem" within a file.

 

Remember to make yourself a backup copy of the original file, just in case.

[Peter Principle]

Quote:

Originally written by Artequila:
And for the love of god, do this on a complete copy of the game folder, as it affects the whole application.

I'm not sure I understand this warning. Can you elaborate?

[Nioca]

He means to that you should have a back-up, as The Mystic said. Otherwise, you'll have to reinstall the game.

[Peter Principle]

Quote:

Originally written by Nioca:
He means to that you should have a back-up, as The Mystic said. Otherwise, you'll have to reinstall the game.

I didn't understand the part about it affecting the whole application.

[Quiconque]

What I mean is that GF loads parameters from those files when it starts up. So you aren't just editing one saved game, or one particular occurance of an item -- you're editing every occurance of that item ever. Similarly, it is possible to make the game crash with certain invalid values. So edit a backup. Common sense really.

[Sudanna]

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-X- fondly remembers changing every item in the game to "Unused" because he accidentaly deleted a slash in the first line. Terrible.

[Arch-Mage Solberg]

Adding on to what the others have said, but saying it my own way. If you do feel the need to adjust some of the stats within the files, it's imperative that you know exactly what you are doing or you will royaly screw up your game play.

[Peter Principle]

Quote:

Originally written by Artequila:
What I mean is that GF loads parameters from those files when it starts up. So you aren't just editing one saved game, or one particular occurance of an item -- you're editing every occurance of that item ever. Similarly, it is possible to make the game crash with certain invalid values. So edit a backup. Common sense really.

Ah yes, I understand what you mean.

Thanks for the help!

So, if anyone else is wondering (assuming there's anyone out there who doesn't alreay know), here's how to change the number of skill points you get for using a wisdom xtal.

The file that I wanted was av4itemschars.txt. I did a Find for the character string "wisdom", and I found this line:

it_name = "Wisdom Crystal";
it_value = 500;
it_ability = 223;
it_level = 1;
it_graphic_coloradj

If the numerical value for it_level is changed, the new value of skill points added will be X+1. So if you change the value to 20, it will add 21 skill points to your character.

[Slippery Salomon]

I made a really nasty bow through item editting.

begindefineitem 477;
import = 316;
it_name = "Klehvarh's Bow";
it_value = 3000;
it_ability = 52;
it_level = 80;
it_graphic_coloradj = 64;
it_stats_to_affect 0 = 10;
it_stats_addition 0 = 2;
it_stats_to_affect 1 = 6;
it_stats_addition 1 = 3;
it_stats_to_affect 2 = 204;
it_stats_addition 2 = 2;

 

It's been a while, but it shot acid arrows of unusual potency. Like people said, make sure you back things up. Use the // symbol to comment the script so you can make and reverse changes easily.

[Nioca]

Wow. I'm a bigger fan of Submission arrows, though. All I have to do is have one person pelting an enemy consistently, and the other one stabbing.

[Darkdread]

I apologyze for this "off-topic" but I must ask: when is Geneforge going to be out so we can buy it??

Thanks in advance for your answer.

[Dikiyoba]

There's a whole forum dedicated to that game, and one of the threads has the answer .

 

Dikiyoba.

[Nioca]

First, this isn't just off-topic, this is the wrong forum.

 

Secondly, it comes out sometime around November 20th for Mac, and sometime in early 2007 for Windows.

 

EDIT: And since Dikiyoba beat me to it, I must add that you spelled 'apologize' wrong just so that my post has a reason for existing..

[Kelandon]

Anyone wanting to script in A4/GF should probably get a reasonable feel for BoA scripting first, which is very similar and actually has documentation.

[The Mystic]

Quote:

Originally written by Kelandon:
Anyone wanting to script in A4/GF should probably get a reasonable feel for BoA scripting first, which is very similar and actually has documentation.

Similar, my (censored). They're nearly, if not totally, identical, both in terminology and in syntax.

Anyway, I agree that getting some practice first is a very good idea when playing around with scripts. And even after you've had some fun with scripting before attempting the real thing, be careful. I once caused my computer to crash by forgetting a semicolon when fooling around with the GF1 script.

[Peter Principle]

I made a really nasty bow through item editting.

begindefineitem 477;
import = 316;
it_name = "Klehvarh's Bow";
it_value = 3000;
it_ability = 52;
it_level = 80;
it_graphic_coloradj = 64;
it_stats_to_affect 0 = 10;
it_stats_addition 0 = 2;
it_stats_to_affect 1 = 6;
it_stats_addition 1 = 3;
it_stats_to_affect 2 = 204;
it_stats_addition 2 = 2;

 

Can anyone explain what the variables it_level and it_ability affect? And why do some items have an import characteristic, and some don't?

[Lilith]

Quote:

Originally written by Peter Principle:
Can anyone explain what the variables it_level and it_ability affect?

it_ability determines what special ability an item has, and it_level determines how strong that ability is. For example, if a particular weapon covers enemies in acid, that's an it_ability, and the amount of acid it covers them in is determined by it_level.

Quote:

And why do some items have an import characteristic, and some don't?

Import just means that all properties of an item that aren't explicitly defined are inherited from another item. It's a convenient way of making "sets" of similar items (e.g. all rings are going to have certain things in common, like weight, so they all import from a basic ring item.) The first item of a set doesn't have anything else to import from, so it won't have an import field.

[Nioca]

it_level affects the power of the item in question. it_ability is the special ability of the item, listed in a different text file.

 

Import takes another item's characteristics as it's template. Clear clears all basic values to normal. if neither are used, values set in the previous item will be carried over to the current item.

 

EDIT: That's what happens when I go to get some soda before answering a question. I chime in 7 minutes late.

[Fenix Wulfheart]

This thread provided me with the answer to my issues. It has just enough scripting know how in it for me to have figured out how to make bread into Wisdom Crystals. Now I can quickly add the necessary skill points to continue my singleton-playing-through-all-games run. I thank you all, and especially @Peter Principle and @Lilith for the clear explanation of how to change the effect type level of items.

 

May this thread's necro be useful to someone else who also wants to play this old game.

Edited May 23, 2017 by Fenix Wulfheart
Accuracy

[actionmod]

Guys i need help when i enter script file i only find a some sort of typing that dosen't make sense

[actionmod]

and i had to know how to change the base damge