Feature Specification: Moveable Placeables

ç i p h é r · Post by **ç i p h é r** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 4:29 am

Moveable Placeables
Moveable placeable requirements are detailed below.

For a short explanation of the feature specification format, visit:
http://www.alandfaraway.org/phpbbforum/ ... hp?t=27229

Functional Requirements
Certain placeables can be moved by a PC. These placeables will have hit points consistent with the size and quality of the materials used. They can be damaged physically, burned if made of wood, and destroyed if the damage exceeds the given hit points. The placeables include:

Siege Engines
Siege engines are weapons of war. They include the Siege Tower, Arbalest, Trebuchet, Battering Ram, and Ballista. Damage to siege engines and their location will be persistent. Siege engines can also fire projectiles according to their function.

Barricades
Barricades are used to block movement. Damage to barricades and their location will be persistent.

Placeable Traps
Placeable traps can be moved if disarmed. They will be reactivated once placed. The location of the traps will be persistent.

Furniture
The location of moved furniture will be persistent. Furniture includes tables, desks, chairs, benches, couches, beds, chests, dressers, armoires, stools, crates, barrels, statues, tents, bedrolls, combat dummies and archery targets.

Moveable objects will have weight and will require a strength check to pick up and move. Players may assist with the strength check against DC 15 granting a +2 strength bonus to the check. Pack animals can be used to move objects for players and in such cases, the animals strength will dictate movement. Strength and movement requirements can be simulated by storing the object (or a placeholder of equivalent weight) in the player's or pack animal's inventory.

NWN Object Dependencies
Siege Engine Placeables, Barricade Placeables, Furniture Placeables

Local Variables and External Configs
None

Logging and Debugging (global LOG & DEBUG (on/off) constants)
None

Persistence Requirements
Placeable Damage & Location

Event Dependencies
OnAcquireItem, OnActivateItem, OnDisarm

ç i p h é r · Post by **ç i p h é r** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 4:32 am

All right, now that we've beaten each other up sufficiently on the hot topics, how about a new one?

I'm picking off the features in the list that have some detail first and elaborating accordingly. I've noted some questions in the main post to facilitate more discussion.

Comments welcome.

ç i p h é r · Post by **ç i p h é r** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 9:33 pm

No comments?

What about barricades? Should these be included?

Overfilled Cup · Post by **Overfilled Cup** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 9:40 pm

moveable barricades..You mean like an item that a pc can carry and then set down acting like a barricade..say for an archer?

Mulu · Post by **Mulu** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 9:44 pm

They'd be pretty heavy....

Would it be possible for seige engines to use/require multiple PC's/NPC's to move them? Are some going to be enchanted to make them tougher? Could you cast an enchantment on them like resist elements to make them tougher?

I loved using portable chairs previously.

I'd add crates and barrels to the list of furniture. Maybe statues as well. And archery targets. Are these items going to be available for purchase and transport? Will they carry over through server resets?

Hmm, and what will the lag effect be of all this?

ç i p h é r · Post by **ç i p h é r** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 10:10 pm

Sure OC, or to blockade/constrict, say, a pass. I think since we're talking about 'siege engines', we're really talking about large scale warfare (multiple players or groups). I don't know how much of that goes on or will occur in ALFA if the materials are provided, but my sense tells me it'll really only pertain to mid to high level characters. Obviously, it's up to builders and DMs to decide how and when to introduce such things IG.

Barricades may prove handy in ordinary combat situations though. I think therefore weight *should* be a factor to consider simply to avoid stockpiling if nothing else.

Mulu, I'll add your furniture suggestions. Regarding teaming up, this idea came up on the 'pick pocketing' thread as well. While I don't think we can visually simulate players moving objects (at least not without a lot of animation work - someone correct me if I'm mistaken), we can certainly allow one player to 'aid another ' against DC 15 (per PnP), which would grant them a +2 bonus on any strength feat (like moving barricades). Practically speaking, this is probably just going to be a point and click operation (target the item - goes in inventory - and then the location to move it to), but the creature attempting the move would need sufficient strength to actually move it (simple strength check or let encumbrance handle it).

Lag will always be a function of how efficient the code is and how many players are banging on the server. It's hard to say exactly how much or how little this will add until we do some stress testing.

Oh, and yes, making them persistent is the goal, especially if weight is a factor in moving these items from one place to another. Availability will be dictated by DMs/builders. Transport is an interesting idea, and maybe our pack animals can serve as the facilitators. Once you pick up the object, put it in the pack animals pack and have them move it for you based on their strength. Neat and tidy.

Fionn · Post by **Fionn** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 12:32 am

May wish to add traps/snares to this. No reason a good thief couldn't rig up a (properly DC'd) trap to lay an ambush if we can allow him to place the placeables IG.

ç i p h é r · Post by **ç i p h é r** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 4:24 pm

As long as this is possible, I don't see any reason not to either. But I'm going to guess that placeable traps are a bit more involved. Don't these require triggers to activate since there's no direct interaction with them? While I've seen these, I never actually played with them. If that is indeed the case, I think the only thing that would be possible is 'dismantling' the trap.

Blackwill · Post by **Blackwill** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 5:24 am

ç i p h é r wrote:As long as this is possible, I don't see any reason not to either. But I'm going to guess that placeable traps are a bit more involved. Don't these require triggers to activate since there's no direct interaction with them? While I've seen these, I never actually played with them. If that is indeed the case, I think the only thing that would be possible is 'dismantling' the trap.

We had this working in Haze. People could craft their own traps, or dismantle an existing one. It was fairly easy to place it down anywhere once it's in your inventory. These traps must be armed to be set. If you drop one from your inventory it shouldn't be armed with a blink of the idea. So I'd request an extra action to activate it.

I'd like to add bedrolls, tents and chests to the PPP list.

One thing which is vital importance to make this system work accurately is that sufficient weight is attached per each item. And perhaps make it codable that only one such PPP can be carried at a time?

ç i p h é r · Post by **ç i p h é r** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 5:13 pm

Tents and Bedrolls will be usable items, which inherently means they can be moved about.

Can you describe the sorts of traps you're talking about Blackwill and how/where they are used? Specifics are always best.

Blackwill · Post by **Blackwill** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 6:35 pm

Tents, as in put them down, leave them there. Server restarts, tent is still there. This way people can set up a semi-permanent camp and leave their tents stationed.

Concerning the traps I know little specifics around them. I do possess the code (AKA the mod) for them though if that can be of any help.

ç i p h é r · Post by **ç i p h é r** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 8:49 pm

Sure. I can always take a look.

Dorn · Post by **Dorn** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 1:23 am

Barricades
Barricades are used to block movement. Damage to barricades and their location will be persistent.

You know what woudl be cool?

A placable of say a number of sharpened pikes that you CAN move through, but that it puts you at heavy-encumbered speed automatically while you do. If you run you take damage and it's still encumbered speed.

Rather than just flat blockages.

DUnno it's it's possible. But could be quite cool in long quests qhere you have to set camp and defenses up.

ç i p h é r · Post by **ç i p h é r** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 2:23 am

Barricade of Wounding. You're evil.

It might be feasible if we can make placeables that players can walk through.

Blackwill · Post by **Blackwill** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 4:38 am

I know persistant placables in NWN were a pain to find the correct facing direction placing the item down. Basically a PC needed to rotate his PC in a certain direction to get a placabele to turn it's position before placing it down. This was random with every type of item, and made it very difficult and time consuming. How can we improve this for NWN2?