ALFA Books Reading & Writing

New models, textures, & integration of 3rd party content.

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Keryn
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Post by Keryn »

Im not sure if I agree at 100% with wynna in this. I think this is an awesome work, definately something that would make the game something special if it were already there but ALFA needs platers badly. At least for sometime I think this should be kept as an exclusive, we need to have some "Aces" to atract people here and show them how diferent and special Alfa can be. IMO Alfa at this point can't simply ignore they need those extra coolness things to get people to play here.
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Kest
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Post by Kest »

I believe ALFA should focus more on drawing players with its content and quality of roleplaying rather than hoarding features that could advance the entire NWN2 community. Did you know there is not even a decent subdual system on NWVault, despite various implementations on more than one PW?

But that is going off-topic...
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Keryn
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Post by Keryn »

Kest wrote:I believe ALFA should focus more on drawing players with its content and quality of roleplaying rather than hoarding features that could advance the entire NWN2 community. Did you know there is not even a decent subdual system on NWVault, despite various implementations on more than one PW?

But that is going off-topic...
Do you think Alfa lacks content? Or RP quality?

Unfortunately that alone is not enough...

And looking at servers like sundren who developed so many things for NwN and maybe don't share them as they should, and still they have their server with 20+ players IG at mostly all day, makes me think if they dont share, why must Alfa be the holy mother giving all and getting nothing in return?

This is quite an amazing project but lets face it, without players its hard. And things that catch your eye and make you try something because its diferent and seems to have the people to make it a new experience are the ones who are doing well out there.

Content and RP quality you can only get to know once your IG and you take sometime to play, things that atract people, are things like this... Unfortunately imo thats how things work...


Maybe latter when we are in a better position we could share it!!
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bartleby
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Post by bartleby »

Maybe we should start a seperate thread some where on what to do with alfas custom content how to show case it and use it to attract players the pros and cons of releasing it or not releaseing it I havent been able to figure out in my own mind what would be in alfas best intrest yet

We have multiple/pnp summonings basicly done as well (After learning a bit more about Nwn2 Guis though i plan on going back and inserting the trigger to access the summoning GUI into the standard player drop down menu for wizards and clerics and anyone else that has the summon monster spell maybe just for everyone) they should work for both mages and clerics rather glitch free same structure can be used to work for druids summonings too if some one made the creatures in the tool set just have to replace the tag name that the spell uses to summon creatures.

So between Sap Books Summonings and im sure the ton of other systems we have death and bleeding etc theres a lot on the tech end that could be used to alfas advantage.

...and so far as i see it its no fun to play on a server that doesnt have enough people so ill probably just keep building things in the hope that it will attract people ... at some point i do want to put language spells in too

((and thanks for the positive feed back :) ))
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Kest
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Post by Kest »

Keryn wrote:Do you think Alfa lacks content?
yes
bartleby wrote:at some point i do want to put language spells in too

((and thanks for the positive feed back :) ))
Ha, was just thinking about that earlier. If this worked, would it also be possible to give monks their Tongues feat? (Although actually that may be too high a level to matter...)
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AcadiusLost
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Post by AcadiusLost »

Language spells and abilities are quite possible through customization of the DMFI scripts (or clever scripting around them, as Bartleby has done with the books above). I'm hestiant to sink too much time into spell scripting until we get some more of our fundamentals sorted out (vault/portalling, morale, possibly custom skills), since it only benefits the caster PCs. That said, if we get a few scripters on-board and interested in developing additional spells, we might be able to get them going sooner rather than later.

With regard to content release, I'm firmly with Wynna on this one; releasing content like this via the nwvault is great advertising for our PW, and helps the broader community. It may be tricky to get the systems ACR-independent enough to stand alone; but most of the infrastructure necessary is via the DMFI, which many PWs use. The ALFA "branding" on the GUIs means it helps to get our name "out there".

There really aren't very many people releasing good content for NWN2-based PWs out there, it behooves us as a community to be generous and make what we've developed available to others.
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Keryn
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Post by Keryn »

AL yes it it carries ALFA's name and logo in the GUI like the books, that is indeed a great advertising system. But people will definately try removing that, if they get them in their own PWs I would think... If not then yes the best publicity without a doubt.
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Post by psycho_leo »

The whole "we shouldn't share what makes us special" kind of thinking is exactly what made a lot of people feel that ALFA wasn't really part of the NWN community in the first place.
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Kest
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Post by Kest »

Keryn wrote:AL yes it it carries ALFA's name and logo in the GUI like the books, that is indeed a great advertising system. But people will definately try removing that, if they get them in their own PWs I would think... If not then yes the best publicity without a doubt.
Even if they did, the system would remain instantly identifiable and draw negative attention from those in the know...?
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Post by paazin »

AcadiusLost wrote:There really aren't very many people releasing good content for NWN2-based PWs out there, it behooves us as a community to be generous and make what we've developed available to others.

Absolutely. But I'd like us to get this into a completely workable state (have it integrated into our haks fully, then be able to repackage it in an easily transferrable to others hak, something I myself have been working on) before we re-ship it out for the world to use.

Bart, thank you again for your immaculate work with these subjects
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Post by dob85y »

Getting the content onto the vault lets not only builders see what we have going, but, from a strictly player perspective, if you see some cool content you like the sound of, and there is somewhere you can try it, then you have just got a nibble from a prospective member.

The next step is to hook them, this is where it needs to be as painless as possible for the "right" players to be able to gain access.

From there once they have had a decent bite, you need to get them addicted, from my experience when a player can customise a toon, or dosnt find it too difficult to get started, then you have them.

Sorry for the hijacking, but you need to understand the whole picture to get my point. I have, as a player searched the vault looking for decent SP modules and PW's to play on.

Another thing, and i know this probably belongs in another thread, but why not use the live chat t interview prospective players in a private room scenario, set out a list of Q&A that any DM can reference, get to know the applicants a little, then email them their reply. We need to empower the DMs to get the applications moving, making it as painless for applicants as possible.

*raises hand* Gulity as charged for all counts of thread hijacking :oops:
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bartleby
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Post by bartleby »

Beta mod posted to tech FTP if anyone is interested in looking. Only thing that realy needs to be done if no one finds anything major i dont know of is some polish.
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Re: ALFA Books Reading & Writing

Post by Helldin665 »

I think i might have pee'd some... :eek:
This is just too great too be true!
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Teric neDhalir
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Re: ALFA Books Reading & Writing

Post by Teric neDhalir »

Hey Bartleby,
I've tried to get your Beta version working without success... I've copied all the files about as directed and the mod loads ok. I can pick the books up but activating them just has my toon making the "dice-rolling" anim and nothing further happens. How is your voodoo actually working? In the toolset I can't see a script that runs when you activate the item and the books seem to be set to work only when equipped, and you can't equip them?? Also I'm guessing that these are blank for writing in; will we be able to put yummy plot items in as DMs?
Teric

Edit: Just thought - do you have to be running the mod via NWN4 for databasing?
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bartleby
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Re: ALFA Books Reading & Writing

Post by bartleby »

Hmm thats odd that it didnt work ... I havent had a chance to test it on a clean machine so it could entirely be the case that something is wrong on my end. What it sounds like is that the script that should be being executed (i_alfa_act_book_ac) by the on activate event either isnt being activated or cant find the correct gui screen to open (alfa_bk_read.xml)

I updated the mod with a few bug fixes and reposted it to the ftp I will try to clean my desktop off and do a clean install on there I think that Paz got the package to work some how so he might be of some help too. Thanks for trying it out!

EDIT:
Also I'm guessing that these are blank for writing in; will we be able to put yummy plot items in as DMs?
Im planning on adding Plot Books next. The books are primarily all driven off of inturpreting two strings an image string (very simple just parses through and displays background images where needed if commanded to) and a text string (more complicated handles what text to put where and how it should show up responcible for language selection among other things)

So all you need to have plot books is to tell the book onactivate to look some where else for its two strings and to set its finalized variable to 1 so that players cant modify its strings.

I plan on using naming conventions to do all the matching strings with books work but ... I dont know all that much about databasing in NWN 1 or 2 though so I could use a hand getting that going well. I also dont know if its best to store the string information on the book after the first initliliation or if its better to have it just go to the database each time the book is opened.

If its stored on the book the chars bic size will get larger depending on how many books he or she has in their inventory
If its stored in the database the database will have to be accessed each time a char opens a book ... dont know if it will lag things.
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