Skipped prolog and dialog woes

[berelinde]

Having trouble of the worst sort with quest dialogs, which I don't really understand, since everything looks like it should work.

 

Four out of 7 spawns worked properly. The other 3 did not. I don't know what happened there. The creatures have scripts assigned, since they need to move into their quest location, but no dialog files. I did not realize dialog files were needed if the NPC was never meant to speak. Maybe I should give them a line like "Talk to the man in purple" or something like that, just to give them something to do.

 

Of the 4 spawns that did happen, no one had anything to say to the pc. Everyone had "NPC has nothing to say to you."

 

I was in a hurry, and wanted to test on a bare install, so I moved via console out of CK to avoid the drudgery of it.

 

Is not advancing to chapter 1 the problem, or do I need to keep digging?

 

I feel like such an idiot.

[cmorgan]

Four out of 7 spawns worked properly. The other 3 did not. I don't know what happened there.

 

1st step, make sure you are starting a brand new game so nothing has been left hanging around - Check dv vs spawn script dv first, then check tp2 for E_B of the correct area script, then decompile area script to see what is making it or not making it.

 

The creatures have scripts assigned, since they need to move into their quest location, but no dialog files. I did not realize dialog files were needed if the NPC was never meant to speak.

You don't need to assign dlg files if the NPC isn't going to speak, but then clicking on them will give you the "nothing to say to you" response!

 

Of the 4 spawns that did happen, no one had anything to say to the pc. Everyone had "NPC has nothing to say to you."

say above, unless you have given them a dlg file, in which case make sure the tp2 is creating the .cre with the correct dlg file assignment

 

I was in a hurry, and wanted to test on a bare install, so I moved via console out of CK to avoid the drudgery of it. Is not advancing to chapter 1 the problem, or do I need to keep digging?

Nope; unless you have conditions like "chaper1" or such.

 

I feel like such an idiot.

I threw myself at Andyr and Domi for several weeks in complete frustration on the first quest I worked on, and I didn't even write it! You'll get it...

[berelinde]

Oddly enough, it was a different problem in each and every dialog file where the dialog didn't happen right. It was all little stuff that made it past the compilation. Forgetting to include a ~ at the end of ~NumTimesTalkedTo(0). Oddly enough, WeiDU let that through. Once it was forgetting to include the statement entirely, so the NPC knew it had to say something, but had no idea what. Once, I forgot to put BEGIN ~NPC~.

 

The spawn failures were the result of attempting to write code before my first cup of coffee. The three creatures are all based on the same template. Since I wanted them to move to different locations, I decided to give them different DVs and different scripts. But I used the old ones in the area script.

 

The quest takes place in Beregost. Yes, I know: bad spot. But it makes sense for Gavin, with the temple being so close. Still, I didn't want to clutter FW3300 even further with a mess of quest spawns, so I just spawned them at the same time as Gavin, but on the other side of FW3400 and had them move to their final location. Worked fine for the 4 I didn't mis-name.

 

Still better than the pounding my keyboard took from my head earlier today, trying to figure out the correct format for EscapeAreaMove.

[berelinde]

Dummy forgot to compile the dialog files.

[jastey]

LOL that happens to me with cutscenes nearly every time.

Your report sounds very familiar, btw. Is it meant to be otherwise?

[cmorgan]

Still better than the pounding my keyboard took from my head earlier today, trying to figure out the correct format for EscapeAreaMove.

 

Didn't I tell you?

 

The correct longhand format for EscapeAreaMove() is

IF
Global("BB!Modding","GLOBAL",1)
GlobalTimerExpired("BB!Patience","GLOBAL")
THEN RESPONSE #100
ActionOverride("computer",DestroySelf())
ActionOverride("berelinde",MoveToArea("tavern"))
SetGlobal("BB!GetDrunk","LOCALS",1)
SetGlobal("BB!PurchaseNewComputerAndTakeUpEBayTradingInstead","GLOBAL",1)
END

[berelinde]

 

I so needed that!

 

No modding of any kind tonight. Plan on sleeping later.

 

And if you're curious, I'm drinking a Black Russian made with Stoli Vanilla vodka, and it's wonderful.

[Domi]

Lol, we've all been there. In fact so often, that whenever it did not go right I started with checking my CRE's in override to see that all DVs, scripts and dialogues were assigned and not misspelled.

 

And heh, it was a sort of not modding day for me also because Kira suddenly started smiling with a vengeance and would not stop... and apparently it's just impossible to put a baby who wants to practice this particular art down.