Granted Abilities

[MindTyrant]

Sorry for posting so many questions, after Google fails, I just do not know where to go to get answers except for here.  You guys are the only ones that reply to me.  

Anyways, the mod I inherited and updating has three abilities.  They have the "GA_" prefix in its CLABAB*** file.  Interestingly, he also uses Opcode 171 to grant itself as well.  After looking at other examples in the files, I do not think it is necessary to have the Opcode 171 to have a kit grant an ability.  

So, this begs the question, what do you have to do to have the granted ability rather than the applied spell?  If Opcode 171 is not necessary, what is it for?

[jmerry]

Opcode 171 is not necessary to grant an ability to a kit. The GA_ prefix does so directly.

What's it for? At-will abilities. Printing a message when the ability is first granted. Other corner-case stuff. And it might be unnecessary in the case you're looking at, because modders are fallible.

[MindTyrant]

@jmerryWould you mind answering what Set Spell State (Opcode 328) does?  I see it on many (but not all) granted abilities but cannot differentiate what it does.  Unfortunately, IESDP is way over my head describing this one.

[jmerry]

Spell States are markers that can be used by other effects and AI scripts to detect conditions. They have no direct effect.

[subtledoctor]

Maybe worth saying, there are a pretty small number of available spellstates, so make sure you need it before using that opcode. 

[Jarno Mikkola]

3 hours ago, subtledoctor said:

Maybe worth saying, there are a pretty small number of available spellstates, so make sure you need it before using that opcode. 

Wouldn't it be better to say that it's very likely prefered that you wouldn't use them, unnessasarily, because multiple enemy AI mods use the spell state resource as their root to installing features. Mods like the SCS, or the older BP AI. So much so that they need to use proficiency flags the game doesn't use to implement features of themselves.