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Title

Descriptive Skill Triggers 1.00 - Descriptions / Flavor Text, Skill Checks, Ability Checks

Author

OldManWhistler

Submitted / Updated

09-14-2003 / 11-22-2006

Category

Creature Related

Expansions

Works on all versions

View Code

Descriptive Skill Triggers 1.00

Descriptions / Flavor Text, Skill Checks, Ability Checks
by OldManWhistler

Check out my other scripts at:
http://nwvault.ign.com/portfolios/data/1054937958.shtml

If you are interested in this, I highly recommend the following:
- PHB Movement Skills (adds Balance, Climb, Jump, Swim, TightSpace / EscapeArtist to the game)
- NWN Skill DC Compilation for DMs and Builders (PDF Reference)
- PDF Reference of all the creature / item / placeable / sound ResRefs (in progress)

FEATURES
- Two installs, minimal install is one script and one trigger (all you need).
- Generic script that uses tags on the trigger for configuration.
- Can roll any skill check, any ability check, or a description.
- Implements tracking feat (as a Search skill check where only rangers can succeed against DCs greater than 10 and passive detect mode gives a -5 penalty)
- No heartbeat, only CPU cycles used are when the triggers are activated by players.
- Rolls checks without "Take 20" and checks are rolled blind so player does not know the DC. (If you fail a check, you do not even know that a check occurred)
- Supports critical failure on 1 and critical success on 20. (configurable)
- Uses colored text for the skill names. (optional)
- Waits until players are out of combat before it displays the text (so that text isn't lost in the combat messages)
- 64 possible configuration option combinations of: showing to player / party, check until success, check  until failure, destroy trigger on success, destroy trigger on failure, send results to DM channel on success.
- Can give XP on success.
- Can create an object (creature, item, placeable) on success and control the orientation of the object.
- Can play a sound on success (only if not creating an object)
- Triggers are visible in the toolset and the DM client.
- Triggers can be removed from within the DM client by using the Chooser menu and killing them.
- DM notification can be turned on / off per trigger instance or globally turned on / off.
- Triggers can be set up to work persistently for PWs.
- Library skill functions can be used to replace existing skill systems in other scripts you may be using.
- Includes several prefab triggers to ease the learning curve.

INSTALLATION

// Required
// #1: Import the tsd_basic_X_XX.erf  into your module. It contains a script called trig_skill_desc and a
// generic trigger.

// #2: There is a placeable in Miscellaneous called the Color Tag Generator that must be placed somewhere
// in your module for colored text to work.

// Now you can place down instances of the generic trigger in your module and change the name and tag to
// configure that instance. Documentation is included further down and in the trigger's comments field.

// Optional
// #3: Import the tsd_extra_X_XX.erf  into your module. It has several "pre-configured" triggers under
// Custom1.

// Optional
// #4: Import the tsd_lib_X_XX.erf  into your module. It contains the inc_skill_desc library script so the
// base skill functions can be used from within any script.

CONFIGURABLE OPTIONS

These options are found in either the inc_skill_desc or trig_skill_desc scripts.

// Should DM notification be forced?
// 0 - always force DM notification off regardless of trigger tag.
// 1 - always force DM notification on regardless of trigger tag.
// 2 - use the DM notication setting in the trigger tag.
const int DST_DM_NOTIFY_FORCE = 2;

// Set this to FALSE to disable critical success on 20s and critical failure on 1s.
const int DST_ALLOW_CRITICAL = TRUE;

// Set this to a value other than 0.0 so that triggers aren't really destroyed, instead they are just prevented from being used for a period of time.
const float DST_FAKE_DESTROY_TIMER = 0.0;

// For debugging purposes only. Useful for module development.
const int DST_DEBUG = FALSE;

If you want the trigger state for a specific player to be persistent over module restarts, then you should modify the DSTSetPersistent and DSTGetPersistent functions to tie into your persistent database system. How to do so is beyond the scope of this script.
CREDITS
- The method of doing color text using a placeable tag was taken from a post by Richterm on the bioboards.
- The original idea for this came from playing Adam Miller's Shadowlords and seeing the flavor text room descriptions. I thought that having that information be available only on specific skill checks would be really cool.
- A lot of the ideas for the features of this script were taken from Mishenka's Placeable skill check markers http://nwvault.ign.com/Files/scripts/data/1050871157361.shtml
  It is a very good package, I just didn't like the following limitations:
    - uses a heartbeat that looks for the nearest PC every 6 seconds.
      (although Mish coded it very efficiently)
    - static invisible placeables are hard to see in the toolset (easily) and can't
      be seen in the DM client at all (although they can be placed live, unlike triggers).
    - hard to remove static placeables with the DM client (need a scripted tool).
    - only supported a limited number of skills.
    - can only create placeables.
    - no DM notification.
  That being said, it's still a great package and definitely try it out and then decide what you would like to use.
- Little known fact: this package was my first attempt at writing NWSCRIPT way back in 2003 / 02.
Glad I never released the original version. :)

KNOWN ISSUES
- Triggers seem to cause huge amounts of graphics lag when you put down a whole bunch close together. Use one per tile, and draw them so that they remain two-dimensional.
- Triggers can not be placed down live in the DM client because they are set up as traps. (Bioware bug)
- Objects are always created at the STARTING POINT of the trigger. Draw your trigger so that the starting point is where you want the object created. You can use the handy "redraw trigger polygon" feature in the toolset (right click on the trigger).
- It is does not seem possible to create the following object types with CreateObject:
    - OBJECT_TYPE_DOOR
    - OBJECT_TYPE_ENCOUNTER
    - OBJECT_TYPE_TRIGGER
    - OBJECT_TYPE_WAYPOINT (Created, but does not show on map)
- The CreateObject function seems to only work well with creatures, items, and placeables.

Select All Text | View Code in separate window

Format

Module and Code

Type

Type - Skill Checks

Includes

None

Description

Zip has example module with 3 ERFs.

- does not require hak pak or modify any NWN content.
- base is 1 script, 1 placeable, 1 trigger.
- extra erf has 7 triggers.
- library erf contains 1 script that can be used for replacing any existing skill checks in your module.

Read the script box for more information.

Additional reference guide

Files

Name	Type	Size	Downloads
DescriptiveSkillTriggers100.zipDescriptiveSkillTriggers100.zip Submitted: 09-14-2003 / Last Updated: 09-14-2003	zip	135.47Kb	1152
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SCORE OUT OF 10

9.75
6 votes
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Comments (12):

Posted by Mannast at 2010-11-30 20:26:31 Voted 10.00 on 11/30/10

I haven't voted? Egads! Love these triggers. I did fool around with the code and add a fifth option to the resref section. This allows another script to be called on a succesful trigger.
If anyone is interested, let me know and I will try and post it somewhere.

Posted by ThugraKhotan at 2009-03-04 14:03:28 Voted 10.00 on 03/04/09

No mod that even tries to be role-playing as in traditional D&D should be built without this. If is easy to use and set up, yet gives the builder and DM's the tools necessary to add a whole other dimension to NWN. Only your creativity in the use of this system is the limit of its usefulness.
_________________________
Never Doubt in the darkness that which you believed in the light.

Posted by Daijin at 2007-11-27 21:26:02 Voted 10.00 on 11/27/07

Very useful, using it in Dunjon Legends, thanks!
_________________________
Dream Well, Faith, Loyalty, Truth, Honor, Friendship always.....

Daijin Dreamweaver, Leader of the Dream Warriors for 32 years, going strong.

Nwn The Dunjon Shard:
Link

Posted by jen at 2004-08-02 05:19:01 Voted 10.00 on 08/02/04

Posted by MorganQuickthrust at 2004-03-11 19:53:31 Voted 9.00 on 03/11/04

Posted by Old_Scores_Transfered at 2004-02-20 10:29:30 Voted 9.00 on 02/20/04

This is a compilation of the old system into a single score. There were 4 that made this score of 9.00 then rounded to 9.

Posted by Whalebones ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2003-12-15 03:00:00

i like this system... hope it will be improve in futur...

Posted by Jasperre ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2003-09-18 08:40:00

Thanks, whistler. This might be useful :-) to those who use it.

DMFI - I should post some bugs and things (like how you can make NPC's have corpses that don't go - but not being able to destroy, raise or kill after! :-) ).

Thanks again, and I hope you'll update if it changes things!

Jasperre

Posted by whistler ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2003-09-18 08:29:00

I haven't looked at the fly rules yet.. its pretty far down low on my list of things to do at the moment (what with the DMFI wands 0.4 and HABD 0.04 in development)

Posted by godbreaker ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2003-09-17 15:15:00

by the way this reminded me, did you ever get to make a sorcerer/wizard flypoint placeable to add to the jump, escape/climb placeables

dont know if you had the time but hope you still thinking about it

thanks for this script as well
cuts down on the gazillion trig scripts i have in my module, which I was able to find a private convo script to run so the speakstrings or textstrings are not seen by everyone else unless PC chooses to reveal findings

Posted by whistler ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2003-09-17 14:34:00

I'm not sure, depends entirely on how Bioware implements the fix. They might just do it for the character selection.

I'm guessing they won't remove the escape codes all together, or search scripted strings for them because of the overhead involved.

I'm just peeved they don't have real escape character support in their string objects. :) Adding colored text to strings should have been as easy as \### where ### is the ascii number.

:)

Posted by Jasperre ( ..xxx.xxx ) at 2003-09-17 11:39:00

I noticed that this uses different coloured text..

After a new patch, isn't that going to be removed? I am guessing it will stop the colours (although I like them!) in here from working too.

Just wondering :-)

Jasperre

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