[TOOL] Resource Pool Kit Upgrade 2.2
yowave
Member Posts: 67
[LEGAL NOTICE]
You have permission to use this TOOL in your MODS if you follow the following:
With this tool you'll be able to upgrade your own KIT abilities so they'll use a resource pool.
It goes without saying that planning your Kit with the resource pool in mind, will make the Kit much more engaging and fun to play with.
The method of Resource Pool was first developed for my KIT "Way Of The Fist",
check it out at: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/62445/kit-way-of-the-fist-1-3-testers-requiered
This Method introduces a new game mechanic which fuels the KIT abilities,
whenever you use an ability it subtracts number of resource points from the resource pool.
Taking my "Way Of The Fist" KIT as an example:
Say you currently have 10 points of resource pool.
You also have those abilities learned:
casting Quivering Palm will subtract 5 ki points from the resource pool, which means you'll be left with
5 resource points, which can be used those to cast 1 Qivering Palm, 2 Ki Coat and 1 Enehnce Self, or 5 Enhence Self.
[INSTALLATION]
http://www.shsforums.net/files/file/1192-resource-tool-installer/
[README]
You can find the README where you extracted the tool.
[Version History]
Version 2.2 - 11/09/2015:
* Added COPY CLAB to ADD_THIS_TO_TP2.txt
* Added Append RemoveSpellRES and ApplySpellRES to ACTSLEEP.IDS, added to ADD_THIS_TO_TP2.txt
* USERHPRES.SPL is now copied to RESOURCE_POOL_DATA\SPL
* "SPELL_NAME" - having the right number of abilities, before it had an ability for every ability in the original spell.
Version 2.1 - 10/09/2015:
* Fixed hp penalty.
* Changed settings_.ini to settings.ini
Version 2.0 - 10/09/2017
* Special thanks to kjeron and subtledoctore from BEAMDOG forums. Thank you both for asking the right
Questions, and giving your valuble insight, by doing so, you stimulated my nurons in the right direction.
* Some big changes under the hood.
* Now works with long casting spells.
Version 1.2 - 06/09/2017:
* Removed OUTPUT_DIRECTORY from settings.ini
* Fixed spell cost, casted spell cost 1 point more than it should be,
now substructing the right amonut of points.
Version 1.1 - 05/09/2017:
* Minor fix to readme
Version 1.0 - 05/09/2017:
* First public release
You have permission to use this TOOL in your MODS if you follow the following:
- Give credit to yowavegamer@gmail.com.
- Give links to the discussions about this tool, those are the links:
- Link to this post
- http://gibberlings3.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=28988
- Link to this post
With this tool you'll be able to upgrade your own KIT abilities so they'll use a resource pool.
It goes without saying that planning your Kit with the resource pool in mind, will make the Kit much more engaging and fun to play with.
The method of Resource Pool was first developed for my KIT "Way Of The Fist",
check it out at: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/62445/kit-way-of-the-fist-1-3-testers-requiered
This Method introduces a new game mechanic which fuels the KIT abilities,
whenever you use an ability it subtracts number of resource points from the resource pool.
Taking my "Way Of The Fist" KIT as an example:
Say you currently have 10 points of resource pool.
You also have those abilities learned:
- Enhence Self, cost 1 point
- Ki Coat, cost 2 points
- Quivering Palm, cost 5 points
casting Quivering Palm will subtract 5 ki points from the resource pool, which means you'll be left with
5 resource points, which can be used those to cast 1 Qivering Palm, 2 Ki Coat and 1 Enehnce Self, or 5 Enhence Self.
[INSTALLATION]
- place the zip file in your KIT installation folder, where all the ".spl",".2da",".eff",etc.. files are.
- right click the zip file and select Extract Here. Then move the zip file to another location.
- Open settings.ini and fill in the information, it'll be best to open it with NOTEPAD++, because it'll highlight the ever important instructions.
- double click BG_RESOURCE_TOOL_INSTALLER.exe
- When the installation will be DONE! you'll find those new things:
- ADD_THIS_TO_TP2.txt, will have new instructions that you'll need to copy to your installation.tp2 file. You might need to edit some things, so do make sure to go over it!
- RESOURCE_POOL_DATA folder, which will hold all the required files, in this folder you'll find:
- 2DA folder, holds your CLAB file with all the abilities and passives arranged in the most efficient way
- BAF folder, will hold all the scripts that have been created automatically according to settings.ini
- SPL folder, edited spells, do note that there are 2 version of the same spell "SPELL_NAME" and "SPELL_NAME_RES".
"SPELL_NAME" - this spell is the one you'll cast and it casts "SPELL_NAME_RES", if needed only patch: name,description,icon,flags,exclusion flags,primary/secondary type
"SPELL_NAME_RES" - the real spell with the real effects, patch whatever you want.
- 2DA folder, holds your CLAB file with all the abilities and passives arranged in the most efficient way
- ADD_THIS_TO_TP2.txt, will have new instructions that you'll need to copy to your installation.tp2 file. You might need to edit some things, so do make sure to go over it!
http://www.shsforums.net/files/file/1192-resource-tool-installer/
[README]
You can find the README where you extracted the tool.
[Version History]
Version 2.2 - 11/09/2015:
* Added COPY CLAB to ADD_THIS_TO_TP2.txt
* Added Append RemoveSpellRES and ApplySpellRES to ACTSLEEP.IDS, added to ADD_THIS_TO_TP2.txt
* USERHPRES.SPL is now copied to RESOURCE_POOL_DATA\SPL
* "SPELL_NAME" - having the right number of abilities, before it had an ability for every ability in the original spell.
Version 2.1 - 10/09/2015:
* Fixed hp penalty.
* Changed settings_.ini to settings.ini
Version 2.0 - 10/09/2017
* Special thanks to kjeron and subtledoctore from BEAMDOG forums. Thank you both for asking the right
Questions, and giving your valuble insight, by doing so, you stimulated my nurons in the right direction.
* Some big changes under the hood.
* Now works with long casting spells.
Version 1.2 - 06/09/2017:
* Removed OUTPUT_DIRECTORY from settings.ini
* Fixed spell cost, casted spell cost 1 point more than it should be,
now substructing the right amonut of points.
Version 1.1 - 05/09/2017:
* Minor fix to readme
Version 1.0 - 05/09/2017:
* First public release
Post edited by yowave on
4
Comments
It will be really nice if someone who knows how to create GUI components for BG, will work with me to create one for this TOOL.
This tool is planned with a GUI component future addition, all the relevant GLOBALS are there to use, if one is ever created.
The resource pool mechanic is a new way to make boring KITS much more engaging.
It can be thought of as stamina,mana,energy,ki,etc...
For example, with this new mechanic you can make a new warrior KIT let's say, Dragon Born (yeah the same one from skyrim), that have meaningful abilities (shouts), all of those abilities share the same Resource Pool (let's say stamina), which makes the KIT much more engaging and fun to play. It brings about a new way to create a KIT that was never thought of before, the possibilities are ENDLESS.
I am playing my "Way Of The Fist" KIT right now, and i enjoy it, monks were boring before, not anymore
All those abilities, and the tactic aspect, do i want to use my remaining ability points to buff myself, or use those for an attack, then comes the question, which kind of attack.
Done sensibly, the Resource Pool mechanic can pretty much UPGRADE any KIT.
@subtledoctor is there a problem with invisible creatures and scripts? the player and also the modder never get to see those, or even interact with them.
Also the modder doesn't need to think about the how, and have more room to concentrate on more important things, design of the KIT, abilities, power curve (i hope you know what that means), interactions with the enviorment\world, etc...
As i said, it is a tool, and you make of it what you make of it, using it with an open mind and the result would be "The stuff of legends! Right Boo?".
- summon the creature upon spell completion, but then you don't lose anything if the spell gets interrupted by damage
- make the spell itself cast instantly, so you can summon the creature as a casting effect without it disrupting the very spell it's responding to.
and then disable the caster so they cannot interrupt the ActionOverride with manual commands.But if you're okay putting up with those issues, you could simplify your kit a lot, and remove the Variable and baldur.bcs dependency entirely, by summoning multiple creatures instead of your current method. So if you cast a spell that used 3 points, you would summon 3 creatures, but regardless of the spell you cast, you would summon the same creature with the same script:
IF !TriggerOverride(LastSummonerOf(Myself),HaveSpellRES("KITOTAL")) // this is an placeholder spell, given to the player the same as the others but not castable/accessible to the player. THEN RESPONSE #100 ReallyForceSpell(LastSummonerOf(Myself),WIZARD_MAGIC_MISSILE) // Not enough points, Damage them Continue() END IF True() THEN RESPONSE #100 ActionOverride(LastSummonerOf(Myself),RemoveSpellRES("KITOTAL")) ActionOverride(LastSummonerOf(Myself),RemoveSpellRES("CUSTOM1")) ActionOverride(LastSummonerOf(Myself),RemoveSpellRES("CUSTOM2")) ActionOverride(LastSummonerOf(Myself),RemoveSpellRES("CUSTOM3")) // etc... Continue() END IF True() THEN RESPONSE #100 DestroySelf() ENDI am playing my Way Of The Fist KIT right now (part of it because i am working on a new thing), and i can't feel the interruptions.
Also the player can't interrupt those ActionOverride or anything like that, because ActionOverride and RemoveSpellRES are instant effects.
I pushed RemoveSpellRES into INSTANT.IDS
So doing something like that, and as you cast the spell you move your char (which responds instantly), it'll still go through the script and RemoveSpellRES as many times as you told it too, and it works 100% of the times: I encourage you to install my "Way Of The Fist" KIT, and see how it works in reality.
For long casting abilities, if you move you loose a point and nothing happens, say you currently have 4 resource points, you cast Enhence Self (it's instant, but let's say it takes 1 round to cast it), you move your char you loose the spell and also 1 point from that specific ability, but nothing else happens.
It can't get any simpler than this, because the TOOL does everything that need to be done, and also does this in a very organized and efficient way, creating all the necessary cre,baf,eff,clab, and editing the spl for you.
If you can show me how it is interrupted by doing something specific, that actually happens in reality and not some controlled environment, means that a player have high chance of stumbling upon this situation, and it happens all the time, then I'll say you are right. You are right about that.
But actually there is another way to do it for long casting spells, and actually i am currently trying various ways to resolve some of the problems of this method.
You summon a creature instantly, and this creature call SpellNoDecRES on the summoner, which cause it to cast the real spell.In all my tests it's a bit clunky, because even if the first spell is instant and with no animation, it still plays an animation, which cause the next spell to fire up at odd times.
Also it'll not work for targeted spells, unless there's a way to get cursor P:Target* and then use SpellPointNoDecRES.I also think that i can take my Resource Pool method and make it work using HP, i'll try to get to it soon after i am done with version 2.0 of the Resource Pool Kit Upgrade.
Anyway version 2.0 is in the works, and it'll bring with it some desired changes.
Think about it like this, casting 3 instants back to back can pretty much swarm the game with summons, EACH running his own script, who knows when, and in what order, you can end up summoning 20 creatures, is this really the most efficient way? not for me!
Also by removing Variables, i wouldn't be able to give HP penalty for missing points, or whatever other logic i want to introduce.
@subtledoctor
@kjeron
Now for another topic, long casting spells, what do you think about the following:
Replace the real spell with a spell that calls the real spell with a small delay, subtracting this small delay from the real spell (confused yet, no?, because I AM!)
this will give time to ActionOverride to take effect.
In my tests it works and works well.
The only downside is the first animation, can explain it as collecting the resource to use for the long casting spells, and also give it some glow or what not.
It also have a really cool side effect, say you collected the amount of resource, even if you move (you need to do it before the real spell is fired), it'll still cast the real spell.
This method will be introduced in version 2.0 of the "Resource TOOL"
Some more issues for you to consider:
I understand your fear of using baldur.bcs, but i haven't run into any issues so far, done sensibly it won't cause any problems. Thanks alot for the heads up:
@Grammarsalad
@kjeron What if i wanted to display text somewhere in the screen, is it possible?
For example i want it to show something like "5/10" in the character portrait, same as how HP is shown there.
Found an old post about the subject:
https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/60023/can-you-alter-the-ui-to-display-user-created-global-and-or-local-variable-names-in-the
- Special thanks to kjeron and subtledoctore from BEAMDOG forums. Thank you both for asking the right Questions, and giving your valuble insight, by doing so, you stimulated my nurons in the right direction.
- Some big changes under the hood.
- Now works with long casting spells.
Still waiting for an answer about displaying text...