Prefabia Restarted - #6

I have been going a bit crazy trying to get walkmeshes and boats working, using Heed's Boardable Ships hak. So to give my mind a break and stop working in circles I thought for a laugh I would set up the persistence portion of Prefabia by adding a database behind the scenes.

I have settled on using MYSQL 5.0 and NWNX4 1.08, which after reading the basic instructions, were damn easy to set up and get running.

Excellent video how to on installing MYSQL on Vista http://www.sebastiansulinski.co.uk/web_design_tutorials/web_server/install_apache/install_apache.php?id=mysql


That was the easy part, the next problem was how do I get all the scripts and such working? NWNX4 forums are full of help if you need to set up the core database engine and plugins but be buggered if I could find anything to aid me in logging the cdkey, ip, coordinates on exit and so on, (stuff I consider core to running a PW).

My inital experiences in this space were the use of an excellent set of scripts and routines developed by Rowell called Rowell's Persistent World Toolkit. This set of scripts was awesome and allowed people with little to no experience on databases using NWNX4 to read write from their database, as soon as the rowell erf was loaded into the module. Sadly, he stopped supporting it, due to issues with NWN2 and Atari and so on. (it all got too hard and I can't blame him).

For a bit I thought WTF, I might as well pull his stuff to pieces and try to get it working on the NWNX4 1.08 version and NWN1.13 until....

I visited Rowell's PW site, Englington and noted he had it up and running and it was patched to the latest levels and the PW datbase was working. I hunted round on his site, looking for his email so I could send a question to him regarding his toolkit, until I stumbled over this thread..

http://www.hideyhole.org/engliton/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=2830&start=250

The thread listed the efforts of a person called Xildjian, how had decided to do what I was about to do and rework the scripts. Not only had they already reworked his scripts, they also went as far as to release their efforts to date. So far, I have tested this and it works a treat. Suddenly I have some pesistence in my Prefabia PW and effort has been minimal. Kudos to Rowell and Xildjian

Hi All, Below is a link to my attempt at getting Rowell's updates
working. Here is a list of the modifications I made:

1. Made use of NWN2 ability to send variables to a script from a
conversation.

2. Made the bank player specific instead of character
specific

Only active quests get added back into the journal when
a character logs on

Fixed some bugs I haven't tested everything
so there might still be errors, and I was using NWNX4 1.08 and NWN2 MoTB
(standalone server) to do my testing and
development.

Below is the URL to get the update.
I kept my files different from Rowell's so the files of interest are Xildjian_updates.erf and Xildjian_Test.mod.

I haven't changed any documentation from Rowell's so if you have a
question check the test mod.

http://myweb.cableone.net/sanaya/RowellsPWKit.rar

Enjoy!

Prefabia Restarted - #5

One thing that is often forgotten by builders and players alike is acknowledging and voting on the sources they use in their world. Without input from the users, the modders and scriptors eventually loose heart and move on things that they perceive has more rewards or community thanks.

Taking the above statement as a truth, I think I should begin to thank the people for the contributions that I am directly or indirectly using as part of Prefabia.

Acknowledgements

Prefabs

• ChaunceyBillups1 : G_Mines : http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2PrefabAreas.Detail&id=352
• ChaunceyBillups1 : G-Wizardlab : http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2PrefabAreas.Detail&id=353
• Zach le Bon: Generic Interiors From Simaeon : http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2PrefabAreas.Detail&id=230
• Hellfire : High Pass : http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2PrefabAreas.Detail&id=334
• Boozehound Blue : Mountain Summit : http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2PrefabAreas.Detail&id=350
• Lady Lilia/Shimmer : Temples -Evil, Neitral & Good : http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2PrefabAreas.Detail&id=133
• Briesence : Ships Interiors : http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2PrefabAreas.Detail&id=284
• NeVerSun : Some Mine : http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2PrefabAreas.Detail&id=281

Plugins

• Vordan : Vordan's Shop Wizard :http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2PlugIns.Detail&id=5
• Sothis B : NWN1 area converter : http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2PlugIns.Detail&id=60
• Sothis B and Seraldin : NWN2 Mapper (taken up by Sothis B) : http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2PlugIns.Detail&id=62
• Sunjammer : Sunjammers Tintinator 2 : http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2PlugIns.Detail&id=50
• Tani : TerraCoppa : http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2PlugIns.Detail&id=25

Updating Plugins .... Tani and Grinning Fool

On another subject but one that comes about due to a scriptor moving on is updating plugins to the latest NWN2 release. Pplugins make life much easier for builders and has made Prefabia a lot more fun to build, shame NWN2 Atari did not include some of these essential tools.

Tani Provided some instructions on how to recompile the plugins to the latest version of NWN2, main thing you need is the source code.

1. Grab visual c# express from m$ (it's free, the 2005 version is enough, don't know if 2008 is different). http://www.microsoft.com/express/2005/
2. Grab the source code and unzip it to a folder of your liking.
3. Open the project file in visual c#.
4. Look for the broken references to nwn2toolset.dll and oeishared.dll, maybe others too (they are marked with an exclamation mark in a yello triangle). remove the references and add new ones to the latest version of these files.
5. Compile the project, and move the new dll (found in subfolder bin/release or just bin) to your plugins folder - you should be fine.in case that was to quick take a look at the video at Link . This shows how to fix the references and compile nwn2packer and especially stripease.

Prefabia Restarted - #4

I thought it was time to post up some screen shots of whats happening in Prefabia, specifically around the area of Stone Port. Stone Port, will be the first area a player gets to experience once they leave the welcome room and is intended to be the start area for all players regardless of factions.

Stone Port is intended to be gritty and dank, though in the screenshots that follow you can see that I haven't played with the fog, sky etc as yet. That will be one of my final touch ups before I sit down and replicate the area with TerraCoppa.

Image 1: Standing On the Bridge between the Rock looking down at the docks. This bridge is accessed via the moving up through the Rock or from the other side via the mines.

Image 2: Standing on one of the docks down int he port, looking North West.

Image 3: Standing on a dock, looking due North. You can see the Rock in the background.





Image 4: On the centre street in the middle of the buildings, looking East I think.

Image 5: In Stone Port on the West side of town, looking west. Rather pretty if you ask me. Baron or BTH would say too pretty but meh, dank is what they are good at.

Image 6: North West side of the Rock, looking Northwards at one of the High Bridges (walkable).
Image 7: High on the Rock looking down onto the river, no name for that yet.

Image 8: Walking along the spine of the rock, this takes you to one of the lighthouses.

Image 9: Just a pretty image looking Westwards on top of the Rock, ahh stars how you twinkle.

Prefabia Restarted - #3

No real screen shots today, more of a small note detailing my progress on Prefabia. One of the things that has been annoying me on the Starting Area of Prefabia "Stone Port" is that the docks were not walkable. I have spent a fair bit of time, trying to make them walkable through various methods and having no joy. I tried, lining up the placeable, putting a walkmesh helper placeable on top and finally lifting terrain under then but they still didn't allow a pc to stroll along them.

Then I read a small note on the Bioware forums, where a person suggested setting the dock placeables to environment, draping the walkmesh helper placeable over the top and baking the area. I tried this and bam! My docks are now walkable and you can stroll out past the ships and look out onto the Sea and dream about where you may go or come from.

Now that docks are walkable, I now need to make the ship decks walkable, so that players can interact with the crew and such. The docks will only have two ships in at a time, one inbound and another outwards bound. Players will start on the dock of the inbound ship, the outbound will not take on players and mainly be there for ore/trade collection.

Some images of the process will be posted up later on today, to give people a feel for how to do
this.

Prefabia Restarted - #2

A small update but one highlighting an excellent tool by Tani called TerraCoppa. Sadly it is no longer maintained but Tani has kindly provided the source code so that it can be compiled to work in later releases of NWN2.

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Nwn2plugins.Detail&id=25&comment_page=3


TerraCoppa allows a builder to rapidly replicate an area and the contents. It can rotate, raise/lower the height of the terrain and migrate all the bits and pieces you would find in area, over to your duplicate.

TerraCoppa will be a major part of my workflow, allowing me to grab and move parts of areas from other prefabs across into my own world. Using the tool you can map up areas outside the walkmesh and make them a new area that you can walk in.

Work Flow.

1. Rotate the map by 90 degrees due to the map orientated in the wrong direction.

2. Shift the map backwards by one grid row, so that the docks that were out of the walkable area now fall into it.

Original Map

Shifted Map, note the green textured sothern part of the map. You get that when TerrCoppa moves things around, texture is default to the map.

3. Shift map one grid to left, so more of the hill is in the walkmesh.

4. Replicated the terrain on the eastern edge and dropped it over the green texture, same with southern. All that remains is to clean up and remove bits that you don't want. You can see the joins in the image below, but a little brush work and gone.

After some quick work and tweaking the water, it is done. This area will form the starting ton for Prefabia. The area will nee some fine touch ups and wameshitig,but is prety well ready to go.

Prefabia - Restarted #1

After discssuing some excellent stuff with Sir Elric and BarryTheHatchet, I thought I would dust off my NWN
Prefabia - Restarted Post #1 After discssuing some excellent stuff with Sir Elric and BarryTheHatchet, I thought I would dust off my NWN2 PW project and begin work in earnest.

Core concept of my project is to use primarily prefabs that already exist on the web as a core for my world and only build areas where I have to. Not really rocket science and will allow me to rapidly implement interiors, stores and specific areas that fit with world concept. The flavour of the world is present day FR on the North shore of the Moonsea, focussed on RP with PVP as a possible consequence. Main reason for FR is that the NWN2 toolset is FR and items etc are already specific to that world concept. Baron pointed out to me, rightly so, that I can either make a vanilla flavour world or one with true angst and grit. After thinking on this I reckon I shall give the angst and grit a good shot. Will take me time but the darkness will be worth it. One of my previous posts had the docks as the world entry point, this will not change as it is complete now and all areas are connected with prefab interiors. I will put posts and updates here as I move along on this. Decisions so far… Working Title is Prefabia AI - Jasperres NWN2, though for now default will be in place Persistence via some form of database Spawn System from Aeon, may require a minor tweak, unsure On enter/On Exit area - Aeon, tweaked for nwn2 Naming standards - require update for NWN2 Haks - to be decided, though BTH Haks are a must Intention is that I shall track in this blog my efforts Spor2 PW project and begin wrok in earnest. Core concept of my project is to use primarily prefabs that already exist on the web as a core for my world and only build areas where I have to. Not really rocket science and will allow me to rapidly implement interiors, stores and specific areas that fit with world concept.

The flavour of the world is present day FR on the North shore of the Moonsea, focussed on RP with PVP as a possible consequnce. Main reason for FR is that the NWN2 toolset is FR and items etc are already specific to that world concept. Baron pointed out to me, rightly so, that I can either make a vanilla flvour world or one with true angst and grit. After thinking on this I reckon I shall give the angst and grit a good shot. Will take me time but the darkness will be worth it.

One of my previous posts had the docks as the world entry point, this will not change as it is complete now and all areas are connected with prefab interiors. I will put posts and uipdates here as I move along on this.

Decisions so far…

Working Title is Prefabia
AI - Jasperres NWN2, though for now default will be in place
Persistance via some form of database
Spawn System from Aeon, may require a minor tweak, unsure
On enter/On Exit area - Aeon, tweaked for nwn2
Naming standards - require update for NWN2
Haks - to be decided, though BTH Haks are a must

Intention is that I shall track in this blog my efforts

Spor

Building a Persistent World in NWN (1&2) - The Prefabia Project. Part 1

I find myself at a point in my knowledge of building a NeverWinter Nights (1&2) Persistent World that I can now begin to document my thoughts with confidence that some of them are correct. To set the scene, I have played on several good PW's (Mystara, Chronicles of Torn, Melnibone and Aeon), built a PW with friends, and now currently help maintain and improve two more. A reasonable amount of experience and a lot of it hard earned or discussed with others who have suffered the pain of building.

So without getting caught in pointless verbiage, I thought I might as well list the top best practices that are IMHO the are a must for building a PW, or improving one if it is already running. Notes these are my opinion, not much else really but if they save someone else some grief, then they are worth pontificating about.

1. Have a plan.
This seems rather basic, but most people forget to work out the stages and understand what needs to be done first for a world to begin. A plan lays out the steps needed, highlights holes and gives you a good checklist to work to as you achieve milestones. Not hard, but few do it.
A plan to be really effective needs to have critical milestones, resourcing and due dates. Milesstones are stages in your project, where ytou have achived a solid chunk of work. This could easily be core systems decided on, base module built, beta release. The dates tie into these, without dates your project will slip further and further behindand the energy you may have built up with the community is lost. REsources can be hardware and people, get these organised early on, keep your team small.

2. Have an understanding of what your world is going to be and more importantly what it is not.
What your world is, will ultimately determine what systems you add, disable or modify. Hardcore RP worlds have different requirements to Hardcore PVP.

Additionally you need to have a world story of some sort, this is covered later.

3. Identify Base systems and haks for your world
Best to identify these early and select or build what is needed. My preference is source from another builder than craft myself. If you source off the vault, remember to vote as well. Authors respond to requests and queries much more readily if you vote.

Core systems to consider, prior to creating custom classes etc are;

• Death


• XP


• Crafting


• Anti-hacking clientonenter scritps


• Persistant database or not


• Debug scripts


• Playtesting widgets -


• DMFI


• Spawning creatures and placeables


• HCR systems

4. Create a base module

Nice and straight forward, you have your base systems identified, add them to your base module and get it up and running. You can spend some time optimising the systems and ensuring that the base is very stable and error free. This step is rather critical, as this base module becomes the reference module for all your builders to base their work on.

5. World Setting

Take your time and explore what you want your world setting to be and locate your references. You have a choice of writing your own from scrath, using one of the existing settings or using the setting that the nwn engine uses, which is Forgotten Realms. Writing your own is rather exhausting but rewarding at the same time, however you need to consider everthing. Using a a pre-existing setting works a treat, and you can pick and choose what you want your world to be from the parts. Finially the easiest is to use the FR setting for simplicity sake. NWN already has all the items built with FR descriptions, creatures and placeable fit the FR setting, so a large chunk of your work is done.

6. Naming Standards
To ensure consistency in your world, from scripts to areas, I would suggest that naming standards are a must. Listed below are various standards from official to what was used on the Aeon project. Use these as a basis for your own, or as is.

Script Naming Standards
Modified CODI

Placable
* T - Trigger
* D - Door
* R - Trap
* C - Conversation
* E - Encounter
* I - Item - This script is not placed on an item per se, but called by module level scripts.
* X - No Object - Use this for a script that is called by other scripts. Executable scripts.

This character is followed by a two character short for the event it goes in, by category:

* N, M
o CO - onConversation
o DI - onDisturbed
o PA - onPhysicalAttacked
o SP - onSpawn
o UD - onUserDefined
o SC - OnSpellCastAt
o BL - onBlocked
o DM - onDamaged
o HB - onHeartbeat
o DE - onDeath
o CR - onCombatRoundEnd
o PE - onPerception
o RE - onRest

* A
o EN - onEnter
o EX - onExit
o HB - onHeartbeat
o UD - onUserDefined

* O
o CE - onClientEnter
o CL - onClientLeave
o PR - onPlayerRest
o RS - onRespawn
o DY - onPlayerDying
o DE - onPlayerDeath
o LE - onPlayerLevelUp
o IA - onItemActivated
o IQ - onItemAquired
o UI - onUnaquireItem
o ML - onModuleLoad
o HB - onHeartBeat
o UD - onUserDefined
o EI - onEquipItem

* P
o US - onUsed
o HB - onHeartBeat
o DE - onDeath
o AT - onAttacked
o SC - onSpellCastAt
o DM - onDamaged
o OP - onOpen
o OC - onClosed
o DI - onDisturbed
o LO - onLocked
o UL - onUnlocked
o UD - onUserDefined

* T
o CL - onClick
o EN - onEnter
o EX - onExit
o HB - onHeartBeat
o UD - onUserDefined

* D
o AT - onAreaTransitionClick
o OC - onClosed
o DM - onDamaged
o DE - onDeath
o FO - onFailedToOpen
o HB - onHeartBeat
o LO - onLocked
o OP - onOpened
o AT - onAttacked
o SC - onSpellCastAt
o UL - onUnlocked
o UD - onUserDefined

* R
o DI - onDisarmed
o TT - onTrapTriggered

* E
o EN - onEnter
o EX - onExit
o OE - onExhausted
o HB - onHeartBeat
o UD - onUserDefined

* C
o AT - Actions Taken
o AP - Appears When (StartingConditional Script)
o AB - onConversation Aborted
o EN - onConversation end

* I
o US - Called when the item is used.
o AQ - Called when the item is Aquired.
o UA - Called when the item is UnAquired.

Prefix examples

Module OnClientEnter script prefix: OCE_
Area OnEnter script prefix: AEN_
Placeable OnUsed prefix: PUS_



Consider this post a living document, which I will add to over time.

Acknowledgements to BarryTheHatchet and Relexx