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Caravel Forum : DROD Boards : Holds : Salamander (Scripted Monster)
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Author Name:Jutt
Submitted By:Jutt
Hold Name:Salamander
Theme:Scripted Monster
Author's Difficulty:
Number of Levels:4
Number of Rooms:32
Number of Monsters:348
Version:DROD: The City Beneath (3.2)
High Scores:View High Scores
Hold Karma:1 (+1 / -0)
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File: Salamander.hold (406.7 KB)
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SALAMANDER

It's already my 3rd hold, yet this is the first one where scripting plays a major role. Mostly the scripting has been used for a single purpose though: the creation of a new monster.
In the hold you will meet a new kind of monster breed: the Salamander. This creature, which can move both on land and in water, has developed the odd habit only to move diagonally (exact movement logic below). The hold provides a set of rooms for you to get used to this new monster and get a glimpse of its puzzle potential.

The idea of a monster moving diagonally only is not new. It has been suggested before on the Feature Requests board. I believe I thought up the idea independently and although that was a long time ago, it stuck ever since. A few times before I've tried to create this monster with scripting. In JtRH the available commands were clearly insufficient though and it took me a while to realize it was actually doable in TCB. The scripting efforts from other people (see credits) helped me putting the required pieces together.


MOVENT LOGIC

(information explained in hold as well)

If the salamander is more than one square away from you, it will consider the four diagonal moves, determine which will bring it closer to you, and then try these moves in order of which are best. If none of them are possible, the salamander stands still. Given the choice between two equally good moves, the salamander has the following order of preference: NW, NE, SW, SE.

If the salamander stands on any of the eight squares adjacent to you, it will try to attack you. That means that if the salamander can move orthogonally to kill you, it will do so.

Some anomalies that come with any scripted monster:
– the salamander can move on tunnels,
– it is not affected by brains, invisibility or decoys,
– salamanders and stalwarts will not attack each other, although both are able to kill the other.


CREDITS

Although I scripted the movement logic for the salamander myself, credits go to Someone Else for the script to determine the location of the player or NPC. Also thanks to Chaco, whose script for the fireball helped me to solve the bump detection problem.

Beta testing and HA review by: CuriousShyRabbit and larrymurk.

The script and graphics for the salamander are freely available for use in your own hold. See this post for more information.
07-09-2008 at 10:38 PM
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CuriousShyRabbit
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icon Re: Salamander (+1)  
If you're intrigued by custom monsters, you've got to check out these 5-foot-long man-eating salamanders. Jutt has introduced these creatures and their wide range of puzzle potential with his usual impeccable attention to detail.

There's something for everyone in this hold:
Introduction - 3 brains, everybody should see this.
Level 1 - 6 brains, medium difficulty puzzles. I think you'll find the ones on the east side are a little more approachable than the ones on the west side.
Level 2 - 7 brains, harder lynchpin puzzles, in a style similar to those in Jutt's previous hold Artful Architecture.
Level 3 - 8 brains, even more challenging lynchpin puzzles.
And there's a special treat for the player who completes all three puzzle levels. I won't say what it is, but the Rabbit liked it a lot. :)
07-09-2008 at 10:53 PM
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Someone Else
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icon Re: Salamander (+1)  
Introduction: 3N 1W
If you leave through the south, you can't continue.
07-10-2008 at 12:32 AM
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Jutt
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icon Re: Salamander (0)  
Ouch! Thanks a lot for finding that. Will try to get this fixed as soon as possible.


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Holds: An Architects Audition, Artful Architecture, Salamander, Elusive Exhibitions, Leftover Levels, Six Times Six
Collaborative: Way Forward, Advanced Concepts 2
Styles/Mods: Basalt, Sandstone, Garden, Clock using game elements
07-10-2008 at 12:55 AM
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CuriousShyRabbit
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icon Re: Salamander (0)  
All better! Thanks to Schik for his quick response in updating this hold. :)
07-10-2008 at 02:31 AM
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Remlin
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icon Re: Salamander (+1)  
This is easily the best hold I've played in several months. Third Level was a bit much with finicky manipulation, but the first two levels were really excellent. Great job, Jutt.
07-14-2008 at 10:35 AM
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Jutt
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icon Re: Salamander (+2)  
The 1-voter strikes back!

Ok, maybe not. This is likely to be another example of the mistake explained in this topic.
The ratings changed from 8.0, 7.5 brains (3 votes) to 6.3, 6 brains (4 votes), which is perfectly explained with an accidental 1, 0.5 brains vote.
This happened with my previous hold as well, so I get the feeling this is a pretty common mistake. It'd be a shame if the rating system could be this easily skewed by a stupid quirk…

____________________________
Holds: An Architects Audition, Artful Architecture, Salamander, Elusive Exhibitions, Leftover Levels, Six Times Six
Collaborative: Way Forward, Advanced Concepts 2
Styles/Mods: Basalt, Sandstone, Garden, Clock using game elements
07-18-2008 at 07:50 PM
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geneforge
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icon Re: Salamander (0)  
what i really want to know is how you made the salamander, i seen scripted monsters(or whatever they are)

like the salamander but i want to know how you made him...

and also how they make the styles for level editor....

other than that the hold is preety cool

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I want to make a protest!!!!!!

my wubba was arrested for stalking!?

[Last edited by geneforge at 01-22-2009 12:07 AM]
01-22-2009 at 12:06 AM
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CuriousShyRabbit
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icon Re: Salamander (+1)  
Jutt wrote:
The script and graphics for the salamander are freely available for use in your own hold. See this post for more information.
01-22-2009 at 12:08 AM
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geneforge
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yes i looked at it, and the salamander monster is a cool monster just how did you make him? was he hand drawn and then put on the computer an animated or was there some application you did it on, that was what i meant in that question above

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I want to make a protest!!!!!!

my wubba was arrested for stalking!?
01-23-2009 at 04:58 AM
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Kwakstur
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icon Re: Salamander (+1)  
Sprites (like the Salamander) are primarily done in very simple bitmapping programs like Paint; it's all in the technique of the artist, not in the programs he or she uses.
The Salamander does appear to me to be made in Paint.

You sure seem to be taking an interest in graphics lately. Do you want to get into making stuff like this? I hate it too when I don't know where to start getting into something, so I'll write how I got started.

Actually, I think I misinterpreted your posts; as I'm reading them over, I now see you're not wondering how you could make these. You're really just wondering how they were made.
Well, I was going to secret it anyways because of length. You could read it if you're interested.
Click here to view the secret text


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Also known as ExpHP everywhere else.

[Last edited by Kwakstur at 01-23-2009 07:32 AM]
01-23-2009 at 06:11 AM
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Briareos
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Kwakstur wrote:
After you make all the frames, if you want to make overall adjustments to the sprites you made (are they a bit too colorful? Are they too dark?), that's where programs like GIMP and/or Paint Shop Pro come in, which have adjustment features like Colorize and Saturation Balance. These programs are really meant for working with photographs, but they can do some things to sprites without ruining them.
I don't know about PSP, but GIMP is more than capable of doing the same thing(s) Paint is used for here - just create a new palette to work from, zoom in 800% or so, turn on the dotted grid and make sure to use the Pencil tool...

np: Kilogram - A While Ago & Recently (Unrest)

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01-23-2009 at 01:31 PM
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Jutt
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icon Re: Salamander (+1)  
I have to make an addendum to Kwaksturs post. The methods he describes is one way of creating graphics, but certainly not the only one, or the one I use most of the time.

Personally I prefer working from the beginning in a program more advanced than Paint. Paint is good foor pixel by pixel manipulation of an image, but other than that its features are very limited. Nearly all of the graphics I made for DROD were done in the GIMP, including the Salamander sprites.

The most important feature of the GIMP is layers. Layers allow you to split your image into simple parts, which are much easier to handle on their own. This way you can easliy tweak a single layer and see directly how it affects the whole image.
My Drod tiles often consist of at least a linework layer (defining the outlines and structure of the tile you're drawing), a shadow layer (to add depth to the image), a texture layer (adding overall colour and fine detail) and possibly more. I'm not going deeper into how exactly they are merged together, this is not a GIMP Tutorial.
Another advantage of layers is that it allows to create many similar objects (like the many different wall configuraton for a style) efficiently as you can do many operations in a layer on all tiles simultaneously.

Each layer is to be created and modified with different tools. For example, a linework layer can be done with simple pixel by pixel or freehand drawing. Pencil and brush are the main tools here. A texture layer on the other hand is easiest created from photographic texture material. Modifications here involve mainly filters to adjust brightness, colour, contrast etc.

The exact way the image is built varies. Smaller sprites may need less layers and can be drawn with simple pixel art techniques, while bigger tiles can consist of more layers and are created using more advanced tools.

____________________________
Holds: An Architects Audition, Artful Architecture, Salamander, Elusive Exhibitions, Leftover Levels, Six Times Six
Collaborative: Way Forward, Advanced Concepts 2
Styles/Mods: Basalt, Sandstone, Garden, Clock using game elements
01-23-2009 at 02:04 PM
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geneforge
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icon Re: Salamander (0)  
Kwakstur wrote:
Sprites (like the Salamander) are primarily done in very simple bitmapping programs like Paint; it's all in the technique of the artist, not in the programs he or she uses.
The Salamander does appear to me to be made in Paint.

You sure seem to be taking an interest in graphics lately. Do you want to get into making stuff like this? I hate it too when I don't know where to start getting into something, so I'll write how I got started.

Actually, I think I misinterpreted your posts; as I'm reading them over, I now see you're not wondering how you could make these. You're really just wondering how they were made.
Well, I was going to secret it anyways because of length. You could read it if you're interested.
Click here to view the secret text

thankyou i'll have a look at it

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I want to make a protest!!!!!!

my wubba was arrested for stalking!?
01-24-2009 at 05:54 AM
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Neather2
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icon Re: Salamander (0)  
Nice idea to introduct a new monster. This is a good hold, and i'll give an overall of 7. :thumbsup

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Nothing to say. I just play the game. And you, sir, should play it too.

Conspiracy, my new hold, has just been released.
02-06-2009 at 05:17 AM
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