Upgradeable Skill Books Mod

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Alkalund
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Upgradeable Skill Books Mod

Post by Alkalund » Sat Aug 09, 2003 2:43 pm

And here we have a new project, by iller:

Upgradeable Skill Books

Title: Upgradeable Skill Books
Author: iller (ilr@bbwest.net) or (iller@protgp.com)
Game version: LoD beta 1.10
Mod Version: 1.00 (but moderately pre-tested 2 days for bugs). Log-file shows no errors beyond unrelated Missing Hashs.
Website: http://iller.protgp.com/D2/skbindex.html

~ Mod Details ~

These Skill-Books started out as a Compramise between Diablo1's skill
books and what we could do with DiabloII 1.09. The advent of 1.10 served
nicely to round it out with non-class skills. The originally-planned project was
to allow each class to place up to 16 of their skills in a book. The fact that
they needed to be on an actual item which takes up inventory space was an
automatic balance that I(the author) welcomed.

The inclusion of Synergies in 1.10 made this much trickier to balance though
so I decided to split the skills into 3 categories so that they couldn't all be
added to the same book.
But it's fairly compatable. Much of the stats are designed for 1.09. Though
it was working just fine for me in 1.10's' too. I feel confident it will work in
it's current state in 1.10 final too, even though I will most likely update it
and re-integrate it into the 1.10's' files before then.

...But first the Item-System and Modifier-System -- one reason I (the author)
felt it wise to have a thread dedicated to this. It's a somewhat complicated
system designed to save space. Because, in addition to people just playing it,
I'd also like to see a few modders use it as a plugin too. :)

It's built off of two Item-Types working together. 7 of one type, the base-type
that all of the actual Scrolls are made of -- (I used pre-existing class types that
weren't really doing a whole lot in Itemtypes.txt...they fit the description well)
== amaz, sorc, necr, pala, barb, drui, assn == ...in that order, because that is
the order that skill-index enumerations progress in.

Then, 16(technically) tokens for the Scroll-Heirarchy: "scr1" -through- "scrF"
which is basically hexidecimal. These are used as the second item-type in Misc.
These two types together enable a system of control for forcing a single spell
to spawn any number of times on a RARE item. so instead of just 16 skills for
16 slots in "ItemTypes.txt", you have 7x16 with help from the "etype"(exclude)
field in the MagicPreffix/Suffix files. ...Which was actually easier to make
with some Copy-Pasting and a little patterned enginuity.

:::One note at this point about "etype": I was only able to get 5 columns for
etype to work. It didn't want to take the 6th one so I had a lot of the Assn's
skills appearing on Rare Scrolls they shouldn't have been appearing on.:::
:::So I gave the Assn 16 extra Item-Types, and this solved that problem:::

Having Normal, Magic, Rare, and Unique scrolls all with different mins and
maxxs on Skills that can spawn on them gives the modder several dimensions
to work in for balancing. It's also just more fun to play it knowing you have
more than one platform you can take your Upgrades to, similar to gems but
more powerful with much-more unique results.

[Now the Gritty Details]
##Itemtypes.txt## 32 lines appended. All using 1 equivalent which is Charms.
No sockets or unusual rarities exist here. 7 class types were modified too I
believe and may be the only required-modified section in the Middle of a file.

##Misc.txt## 115 lines appended. 3 for the 3 books, 112 for the Scrolls. (0):
The first 100 token-series starts with "s" as a preffix for the actual Skill's index
number. Example: "s06" = Magic Arrow "s97" = Smite. The default Type
for each one is one of the 7 Class-types, repeated down the column 16 times.
The Second Type is the Hexidecimal description.(Excet for in the Assassin's
case, then it is G-V). ...This, again, is to control Magic and Rares Modifiers.

(1): After you run out of 's' tokens, the remaining skills used 'q' as the prefix
and followed suit based on the skill-index. The last 10 scrolls however go
beyond 200 and so 'sx'# was used to catch the last 10 skills.

(2): And their default graphic is "invmscr". ...Although I copied it 6 more times
and shaded them all for additional graphic effect. ...This could be replaced
if anyone knows how to activate TransColors on the default graphic and make
it work in AutoMagic.txt. I chose this current method because I'm an artist
who's a bit of a control-freak when it comes to color shades.

(3): A final addition of making Scrolls "useable" in Misc.txt comes near the
end of the main parameters with State "BattleCommand" and the effect of
boosting all skills by a varying time-length.

(4): Most All Scrolls are currently enabled on NPC Vendors. Those beyond
Act2 appear to require "permstoreitem" in order to spawn. Their Prices are
controlled in 2 places: Misc.txt and Automagic.txt.

:::Note on Misc.txt Compatibility: Is not currently available for 1.09:::

##Automagic.txt## 112 lines, 112 groups, all based on skill-index
and referenced to back in Misc.txt. Nearly all have 1 modifier set to 1-min
and 1-max. Only "itype"(include) was used here, no 'etype'. At the end of
each line is the Price Multiplier. This is primarily used to adjust the price
balance on skills that other classes may try to make Unique Scrolls from.

##Magic(-)Prefix/Suffix## 112 lines which include scr1-scrF for each set
of 16-skills and exclude the other 5 classes. Extra "etype" coulmns had to
be added to these files to enable this. They are currently only set to rares.
They could be duplicated of course easily-enough and pasted below to
give Magic items a skill-count that is different from Normals.
They all have a generic name currently. Beware of "pre || suf" errs
when modding if you don't allow any modifiers to spawn a scroll.
"etype6" column appears to not function in 1.10 and should be ignored.

##TreasureClassEx## (OPTIONAL) 16 lines included in the middle.
They "pick" like gems and have a probability system like Runes. 1 of
the 16 teirs of "Scrolls" can be found in each line for Unique-monster
drops, Super-Uniques' drops, and some chances in Champions. None
are currently set to drop from Bosses.

##UniqueItems## (Also optional) These are currently only used to
grant other classes the same skills in their Skill-Scrolls. Some Scrolls
with Proprietary skill-animations are disabled.

##Cubemain## Lines 146-369 are Required. Lines 370 and beyond
are optional and used for Creating Unique Scrolls manually and adding
them to Skill-books. Some oskills are disabled until I have time to test
which Skills can be used here and which can't be used in 1.10.

:::Note: Using any item input token that doesn't actually exist, such as
"s09,qty=2" for example, will cause every single line following it with
the same number of inputs to always generate a hand-axe. Invalid
recipes are not shown in the ErrorLog file like most mistakes are:::

All Table String entries are in patchstring.tbl of course.

Graphics:
'invsb1.dc6','invsb1.dc6',' invsb1.dc6' are all required.
"invmscr.dc6" is currently required too.
"invscr1.dc6"-(through)-6 are optional but are currently
referrenced to in Misc.txt.

[End of Details]

This Mod/Plugin will be updated and maintained frequently as long
as changes are necessary or possible. Additional questions about
integrating them as a plugin are encouraged here.

Ilr would greatly appreciate any feedback on this Mod. He made a
move recently which sapped most of his monetary reserves and so he
must focus his efforts away from modding until he gets back in a more
comfortable position. So Ilr is limited on testing-time and is looking for
opinions on balance as well as bugs.
Or if ya' just wanna say "it's cool" or "it's missing ____", that's great too.

Thank You, and please enjoy.
-Iller

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Re: Upgradeable Skill Books Mod

Post by ChaoticDeath » Sat Aug 09, 2003 8:05 pm

This is a very great idea. Heck, you could base a mod off this thingy. Maybe you should experiment with a mod where characters have no skills, and get them through books. Or you could make 'hidden' skills to add an extra variety of skills/spells to the game. Sounds like fun, i'm gonna have to try it out sometime ;).

edit: btw, have u tested multiplayer? Sounds like it could be fun for it. Was wondering if its a good idea to play it with a friend ;).
Last edited by ChaoticDeath on Sat Aug 09, 2003 8:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Upgradeable Skill Books Mod

Post by Drackin » Sat Aug 09, 2003 8:48 pm

:cry: ahh, another thing people are going to think I stole a feature from... crap crap crap...
WARNING: Prolonged exposure to modding may cause temporary insanity and include sexual side effects, IE/ The lack thereof.

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Re: Upgradeable Skill Books Mod

Post by ShadowLord » Sun Aug 10, 2003 5:51 pm

Nice idea. Should be fun to play.
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Re: Upgradeable Skill Books Mod

Post by NewbieModder » Sun Aug 10, 2003 10:41 pm

Haven't tried the mod, but am going to download it ASAP.
ahh, another thing people are going to think I stole a feature from... crap crap crap...
Don't worry...it isn't about what you stole, it's about how well it's implemented. TFW and Zy-El took a LOT of features from other mods, but they're still great. Why? Because they implemented them in a great way and added their own original touch.
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Re: Upgradeable Skill Books Mod

Post by iller » Mon Aug 11, 2003 2:25 am

Heck, you could base a mod off this thingy. Maybe you should experiment with a mod where characters have no skills, and get them through books. Or you could make 'hidden' skills to add an extra variety of skills/spells to the game.
Yes!, this is exactly why I left the system so open and ready to be expanded on. Also why I decided to pass it around the Keep here, this is the first time I've released anything here and that's because I believed it was the first one I've built that other Modders could build off of. :D I'm hoping to see modders pick up where I left off and balance-in more skills from the game that I was afraid to touch. ...And even some new skills, heck that would be really kewl actually.

Also, Here is the reference charts I made to build this mod with. They indicate the Skill Index numbers, and display their Synergies too. I still have the Blank Templates too so I'll be able to make these charts for 1.10 final too. I find they save a lot of time while you're planning or dealing with a lot of items with +skills/oskills on them. :mrgreen:


And don't worry about it Drackin, LOL, I basically DID steal my entire Artistic Style and I've never heard the comic fanboys complain about it. :P


Thank you all for the great feedback, I'm humbled :oops:

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Re: Upgradeable Skill Books Mod

Post by NewbieModder » Wed Aug 13, 2003 12:21 am

umm....are Minor Healing Potions SUPPOSED to sell for 89000 gold? This means that in Act1, enemies drop items that sell for 5000 gold to vendors, and that you can save until Act 2, making 10,000 dollars for a simple potion. Is that a testing change accidently left in, or a bug, or what? Becuase right now, playing 2player LAN and doing runs, we've decided on one thing - IT's GAMBLING TIME!

Remember, in 1.10, you have a decent chance of getting uniques. :)
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Re: Upgradeable Skill Books Mod

Post by iller » Wed Aug 13, 2003 2:00 am

That's odd... I fixed that bonehead problem once already.

It was just part of my money-recouping after early experiments with the scrolls.

It's fixed now, or just change yours from 90,000 to 25.


Thanks NM!, good catch. I O U1

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Re: Upgradeable Skill Books Mod

Post by iller » Tue Aug 19, 2003 10:29 pm

UPDATE:

1.01:
--Fixed a major bug in Misc.TXT that prevented Runewords from working
--Reworked Treasure Class to Relieve some effects of Inventory-Crowding

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Re: Upgradeable Skill Books Mod

Post by Ssergit » Wed Aug 20, 2003 5:28 pm

I just want to say good work! Your endeavors in skill book pwnage are exactly what I was looking for, and wasn't sure if I could figure out myself. I'm in the process of testing it out to see if it'll fit well in the mod I'm making :). The distict lack of (or my inability to find) a character editor for 1.10 is kind of hampering my progress, but in all truthfulness--I simply love to play this game, and it's giving me an excuse ;)
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Me, the guy who drinks my beer
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Re: Upgradeable Skill Books Mod

Post by iller » Wed Aug 20, 2003 11:12 pm

Awesome. Thanks, I'm having a lot of fun with it too now that I'm getting a chance to really play it this week.


Unfortunately, I'm still finding more bugs...not all of them mine, but you know how that goes when it comes to Blizard.


UPDATE:

--Mastery Bug found: The 6 Passive Weapon Masteries for barbs ONLY WORK for other classes with the "oskill" Modifier, not normal "skill".

EDIT: Status: FIXED in 1.02 and Uploaded. See:
http://iller.protgp.com/D2/skfiles.html
for more details.

Some changes made will be part part of my Hireling Plugin,
Due to the fact I'm planning the Hireling Plugin to be Freestanding
but I want their benefits to stack on this Mod.
Last edited by iller on Thu Aug 21, 2003 9:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Upgradeable Skill Books Mod

Post by Joel » Thu Aug 21, 2003 2:38 pm

Good work iller :)
if you want what can be done with a bit more work, go to my website and look at my Skill System pages ;)
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Re: Upgradeable Skill Books Mod

Post by iller » Thu Aug 21, 2003 10:15 pm

Wow Joel... Might take me a little while to study that one more closely to really wrap my mind around all of it :?
Looks kewl though :bravo: How long have ya had that Skill system? Looks like it could predate my own prototypes from 1.09.
Last edited by iller on Thu Aug 21, 2003 10:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Upgradeable Skill Books Mod

Post by Joel » Thu Aug 21, 2003 10:24 pm

Well, should be a monthor so ... but I'll have to ditch some stuff (the PP for exampel) to make it pure txt skill system by using charm like book stuff.
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Re: Upgradeable Skill Books Mod

Post by Aazzlano » Sun Oct 05, 2003 6:52 am

dont know if its already been mentioned, but whenever (as a barb) i put my cursor over axe mastery (havent tried others) game crashes with access violation. :x :(

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iller
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Re: Upgradeable Skill Books Mod

Post by iller » Sun Oct 05, 2003 9:03 am

Yikes. That's ugly, though I don't see how it could have come from me since I didn't modify Skills or SkillDescriptions in this one. ...Unless it's the actual scroll/book granting the weapon mastery, in which case I'll check it out immediately.

Thank you for your help :)
Although I'll probably not be expanding any further features on this until 1.10 final is released so this patch has nowhere to go now except bug tweaking. Has anyone had any strange Cube recipe errors to report? I'm still finding some crossed-linked stuff from the old skill choices I used initially in various versions before release.

Thanks again and thank you to the Phrozen Keep.

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Re: Upgradeable Skill Books Mod

Post by Althalus » Tue Oct 14, 2003 8:45 pm

kind of fun... hmm... hentai pr0n...? ooo... :cool: hehe joking but yea this mod is kind of fun to play :p

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Re: Upgradeable Skill Books Mod

Post by iller » Tue Jan 20, 2004 9:49 pm

MAJOR EDIT: NO sooner had I made this post when I checked what was on my site and it was the old first-1.10-Beta release. The 2nd version which had a much cleaner set of TBLs and price changes, plus the ability to make more than one unique scroll per-game was lost on my HD during a crash and I am in the process of rebuilding that now. Just a little more tweakin and I will have a fully updated 1.10-final version that will be a bit more plugin-friendly.... So in the meantime, I'd suggest checking back in a week or so, and disregard the rest of this post :-|


I have an important Message for readers and any Moderators.


I've been in and out of this mod this winter and came to the conclusion that there's not much else that can be done to update or improve on it. The Site for it will remain up for the meantime and I may start a new mod to add 2 or 3 new Hirelings as a new plug-in(Depending on the current state of Animation tool developments here). But this current Mod has run it's course now. I'm very happy with the feedback I recieved on it and now leave it to the maintenance judgements of the Moderators. Thank you :)
Last edited by iller on Thu Jan 29, 2004 9:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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