Timers

[Gabrielle]

This is the first time I am moving towards advancement modding, using timers. One, I do not know anything about them really. Two I know this is done through scripting.

 

Ok on to the situation. Little evil party talks to <CHARNAME>, global for dialogue is set, party attacks pc. Little evil party is defeated. Some time later, lets say two days, big bad evil party appears to <CHARNAME> and is none too happy about their brethern being killed. How do I make Big Bad Evil Boss and gang appear in two days to meet <CHARNAME> in what ever area he/she is at, at night time?

[berelinde]

Hardest part is identifying a script that will run constantly. If this is part of an NPC mod, it can go in that NPC's script, but if it's a quest mod, I guess you'd have to add it to baldur.bcs, although that's far from ideal. I guess you'd be OK if you EXTEND_BOTTOMed it (and tested thoroghly).

 

Depends how little evil party is defeated. If the idea is to kill them, you could do this

 

IF

Global("Evil","GLOBAL",1) //little evil dialogue happened

Dead("LittleEvilDV1")

Dead("LittleEvilDV2")

Dead("LittleEvilDV3")

//etc.

THEN

RESPONSE #100

SetGlobal("Evil","GLOBAL",2)

SetGlobalTimer("EvilTime","GLOBAL",TWO_DAYS)

END

 

IF

GlobalTimerExpired("EvilTime","GLOBAL")

Global("Evil","GLOBAL",2)

TimeOfDay(NIGHT)

THEN

RESPONSE #100

SetGlobal("Evil","GLOBAL",3)

CreateCreatureObjectOffset("BEcre1",Player1,[100.100]) //BEcre1 is big evil creature 1 cre code, the ##s are the x,y offset from player 1 in pixels

CreateCreatureObjectOffset("BEcre2",Player1,[150.75])

CreateCreatureObjectOffset("BEcre2",Player1,[150.125])

CreateCreatureObjectOffset("BEcre2",Player1,[200.50])

CreateCreatureObjectOffset("BEcre2",Player1,[200.100])

CreateCreatureObjectOffset("BEcre2",Player1,[200.150])

//that mess just created 1 ringleader and 5 enforcers in a pyramid formation down and a little to the right of the pc

END

[Guest jastey_*]

Hardest part is identifying a script that will run constantly.

For BGII that's easy: baldur.bcs is the "overall" script that runs in every area (for SoA, "baldur25.bcs" for ToB). The creatures could be spawn in relation to the PC (coordinates [-1.-1] I think), or with something like "CreateCreatureOffScreen(S:ResRef*,I:Face*)".

 

-jastey

[Gabrielle]

Thanks. That looks easier than what I thought it would be.

[berelinde]

I've had mixed results with Jastey's CreateCreatureOffScreen(). I had people missing the spawned creatures entirely and then wondering why Gavin's quests didn't start. So I moved it to spawning the creatures a bit closer to the PC.

[Kulyok]

Good thinking, I had a spawning problem such as this in Xan. I should adapt it for my CreateCreatureOff's, too.

[jastey]

"CreateCreatureOffScreen()" is used for Anomen's quest (messenger) and for Garren Windspear. I have the impression it is bound to fail if the creature get's created in an area it can't move to the PC (locked door in between etc.)

[Kulyok]

Yep, and sometimes you hear the scrambling, as though someone is moving, but they can't find you, usually because they don't see you. Or there's indeed a physical barrier. In Amkethran it was particularly nasty, because of that corridor at the beginning of the area.

[cmorgan]

Similar problems with CreateCreature() and MoveToObject() combinations when you are not in a cutscene... Dynaheir's quest had some playtests where Drizzt showed up after his timer, but the party was on the edge of the map. The MoveToObjectNoInterrupt() MTO(), etc. worked, but the party moved in different directions, finally leaving the map - stranding an unseen Drizzt in a random part of the map.

 

Safest to either use cutscenes, or code like the above, where it is hard for the party to miss the appointment

[berelinde]

At normal resolutions, 50 pixels is something like 3/4".

 

 

Yeah, it's a bit jarring having something pop into existence *inside* your fog of war, but it's a lot less annoying than trying to find that darned quest spawn, especially when the party is hopping through maps pretty fast and the spawned creature could be *anywhere.*