Someone Else
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Well I was messing around with the scripting and I noticed something that might be nice to have with all the new things that you can do with scripting. What is missing is a way to activate scripting from any point in the room. If you just look at any of the new RPG DROD attempts you can see what it plays out as. They have all those different coloured squares.

What I want is a new input key that does nothing. Instead of having a assigned value(or function) it will be an activator for scripting. With this scripters can make much more flexable systems. It would read as "Wait for "T" in the scripting code. People could make archers and other different style characters. You could also build flexable story plot lines that could not be done if you have to stand on certain squares or face a certain way.

RoboBob3000
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Does it take a turn?

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Jatopian
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RoboBob3000 wrote:
Does it take a turn?

Presumably that would be left to the architect. I dunno about this idea.

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Chaco
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I'm thinking that this idea, if implemented, could lead to the following situation:

Not only are you able to turn counterclockwise and clockwise and move in the eight directions, but by pressing T you are given the option of loading your bow (8 arrows currently in your quiver) or shooting your gun (1 bullet left!)

Actually, both of these can currently be done in square form with TCB's new scripting, but about the closest thing to giving the player these abilities each turn is repeatedly asking the player each turn if they would like to use a special ability or move regularly - which would get kind of annoying. With this, you can either move normally or press T to choose from a list of special abilities.

Unfortunately, this could also lead to people having to press T repeatedly in rooms they think might contain scripting, but I think that if used well, this idea could greatly expand the range of actions a player can perform.

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[Last edited by Chaco at 07-30-2007 10:33 AM]

Someone Else
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Chaco wrote:
but by pressing T you are given the option of loading your bow (8 arrows currently in your quiver) or shooting your gun (1 bullet left!)

In this case, it could be better if we simply allowed the use of more than one key. I think that, like other scripting, it should be somewhat obvious what to do to get what result.

It would take a turn.

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[Last edited by Someone Else at 07-30-2007 04:08 PM]

NeonElephant
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What happens if I've mapped 'T' to be my "restore to last checkpoint" key?

Beef Row
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Chaco wrote:
Unfortunately, this could also lead to people having to press T repeatedly in rooms they think might contain scripting, but I think that if used well, this idea could greatly expand the range of actions a player can perform.

You could have some visible indicator on the game screen in any room that contains a script with the T command. On top of that hold admins could enforce that rooms using or requiring T have an explanation or at least a hint, of how it would be used. Since the admins would see the same visual cue that it exists as anyone else, this would be easy to enforce.

NeonElephant wrote:
What happens if I've mapped 'T' to be my "restore to last checkpoint" key?

Well, its pretty reasonable to assume that 'T' would be the default key, but this would be remappable, just like (almost) any other key in DROD.

I'm not totally sure if I like this idea. It could encourage more strange scripting... but it could make the trigger for scripting much more obvious and versatile as well. But those two specific problems mentioned above do seem easily solved.

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NeonElephant
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Beef Row wrote:

NeonElephant wrote:
What happens if I've mapped 'T' to be my "restore to last checkpoint" key?

Well, its pretty reasonable to assume that 'T' would be the default key, but this would be remappable, just like (almost) any other key in DROD.

Oh. I'd somehow assumed that the original request was broader, so that potentially any letter key (at a minimum) could be asked for, a la Megazeux (which didn't allow remapping of the standard keys).

Dex Stewart
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I think it would be best if one was forced to set only the function keys to be used, as those are the same on each and every keyboard as far as I know.

Someone Else
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NeonElephant wrote:
Oh. I'd somehow assumed that the original request was broader, so that potentially any letter key (at a minimum) could be asked for, a la Megazeux (which didn't allow remapping of the standard keys).

This is what the original request was intended to say.

Banjooie
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At this point we extend from 'puzzle game' to simply 'puzzle game /creator/', though.

Seriously, that's where this is going at this rate.

Insane
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Maybe the <T> could be replaced by whatever key in the options menu, where all the other keys get placed, on that's comfortable for you. Anyways, when an active npc has that event in a room, there should definitely be some sort of visual indicator.

-Insane

The spitemaster
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Is there any problem of the game being a "game creator". I don't see any issues with that.

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Tim
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The spitemaster wrote:
Is there any problem of the game being a "game creator". I don't see any issues with that.

Only one actually. People are now buying DROD because it is known as a very good puzzle game. How many people would buy a "game creator"?

On the other hand, why only one button if you want a "game creator"? Why not all the buttons on a keyboard, or better, all the buttons on a chinese keyboard? Or, wait until € (or any other unicode character) has been pressed?


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TFMurphy
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Tim wrote:
On the other hand, why only one button if you want a "game creator"? Why not all the buttons on a keyboard, or better, all the buttons on a chinese keyboard? Or, wait until € (or any other unicode character) has been pressed?

As has been said before in this thread, the difficulty with allowing any custom key to be used is conflicts with player-set key mappings. What happens if you're waiting for the player to hit 'T', and that happens to be the player's undo key?

The function keys are reserved, by the way, I'm afraid: F1, F4, F5, F6, F7, F10 and F11 all definitely have commands mapped to them, and none of the function keys can be set to any of the standard commands. (Ctrl, Shift and Alt can all be set though, and even differentiate between left and right for Ctrl and Shift, but then you get to deal with those problems yourself)

The advantage of limiting it to a small number of keys is that these keys can be readily remapped by the player just like the rest of the commands, and thus sidestep any conflicts, which I'm sure no one wants.

Tahnan
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I can't escape the feeling that scripting is already so easy to abuse. I'm not sure I see what exactly something like keyboard-triggered scripts, rather than step-on-this-square-triggered scripts, would buy us.

Tim
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Just in case if I didn't sound unlike Banjooie, I was being sarcastic.

TFMurphy wrote:
The function keys are reserved, by the way, I'm afraid: F1, F4, F5, F6, F7, F10 and F11 all definitely have commands mapped to them, and none of the function keys can be set to any of the standard commands. (Ctrl, Shift and Alt can all be set though, and even differentiate between left and right for Ctrl and Shift, but then you get to deal with those problems yourself)

Personally, I don't want the Shift key being used for other things than locking at the moment.

The advantage of limiting it to a small number of keys is that these keys can be readily remapped by the player just like the rest of the commands, and thus sidestep any conflicts, which I'm sure no one wants.

I know, but how many games have you played using only one extra key? 2 would be nice, at least you can do something like accept and cancel, or clockwise and counterclockwise.

But, on the other hand, if you need more options using the current set of keys, you can do this currently using the Question and Answer commands.

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Kwakstur
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Posted a workaround solution to this in my own topic, which I was going to post here, instead, but it started to get too long (and therefore would clearly hijack the topic if posted here).

It lets you have lots of extra keys without ever conflicting with keyboard setup. That's because it doesn't use the keyboard.

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The spitemaster
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The basic idea for this is to create different gameplay. One of the new things that greatly affects gameplay is the player-role ability. Think of what those changes will entail. Wraithwing... Fly over pits, funny monster movements because they can't reach you (i.e. slayer actually turning his sword even though you don't have a sword), and room error problems. (Flying over pit. That will be a nightmare for the demos)

And now we say this is enough. Can we not explore the possibilities? Would it not be better to have willing people demo the more riskier (or further out) ideas? I think that the builders will be responsible for the product of their hold s and if no one likes it then the idea will die and no one will use it. All the holds succede on the sole responce of the players. If the builders present it well then it could work, likewise if they do it badly then their holds won't do well. It's like any other hold, you can look at many holds that died because people couldn't undrstand what was going on. They didn't need scripting to be too complicated. Just give it a chance.

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Kwakstur
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The spitemaster wrote:
The basic idea for this is to create different gameplay. One of the new things that greatly affects gameplay is the player-role ability. Think of what those changes will entail. Wraithwing... Fly over pits, funny monster movements because they can't reach you (i.e. slayer actually turning his sword even though you don't have a sword), and room error problems. (Flying over pit. That will be a nightmare for the demos)

And now we say this is enough. Can we not explore the possibilities? Would it not be better to have willing people demo the more riskier (or further out) ideas? I think that the builders will be responsible for the product of their hold s and if no one likes it then the idea will die and no one will use it. All the holds succede on the sole responce of the players. If the builders present it well then it could work, likewise if they do it badly then their holds won't do well. It's like any other hold, you can look at many holds that died because people couldn't undrstand what was going on. They didn't need scripting to be too complicated. Just give it a chance.

. . .

What are you trying to say? I think you might be posting in the wrong topic.

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Mattcrampy
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You don't need new verbs to create new gameplay (which is what player roles do: create new verbs.)

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