LucidMagic.net

Looks like Bethesda and id are teaming up. I would have never expected id Software to sell out. I hope it's a good thing.

-420

Atari’s secret weapon – Neverwinter Nights

OK, first of all, a NWN MMO? As if MMO's aren't shutting down faster than they are being made. Atari's marketing department must be one inbred waterhead who thinks Pac Man is still a new and innovative concept.

Second, a NWN title developed by someone other than BioWare? We already know how that goes...

I recommending selling any of your Atari stocks while you still can.

-420

I was showing off the 1.69 Player Tool custom feats in the CEP team meeting yesterday and I was asked to post details about how it worked. Thought I may as well post it here too:

Here is a quick tutorial on how the Player Tool custom feats work:

There are 10 DM tools and 10 Player tools each with an entry in feat.2da, iprp_feats.2da and spells.2da. There is also a script associated with each one: x3_dm_tool## and x3_pl_tool## (## = 01 - 10). Player Tools can only be added to PCs, DM Tools can only be added to DMs. (I use the player tools because our DMs don't use the DM client.)

First, add the feat to the PC's creature hide. Bioware's horse riding system creates this item (tag/resref "x3_it_pchide"), equips it to the PC's Creature Armor slot and adds the horse riding feats to it. If you don't use the horse riding system you'll have to create/equip this item on the PC.

In OnClientEnter the entering object (the PC) should execute this script after the horse riding code: (This also checks for a valid creature hide and creates/equips one if necessary.)
void main()
{
    object oPC = OBJECT_SELF;
    object oSkin = GetItemInSlot(INVENTORY_SLOT_CARMOUR, oPC);

    //if oSkin is not valid create/equip a new skin
    if(!GetIsObjectValid(oSkin))
        {
        oSkin = CreateItemOnObject("x3_it_pchide", oPC);
        AssignCommand(oPC, ActionEquipItem(oSkin, INVENTORY_SLOT_CARMOUR));
        }

    //item property from iprp_feats.2da line 53 PLAYER_TOOL_01
    itemproperty ipPlayerTool = ItemPropertyBonusFeat(53);
    AddItemProperty(DURATION_TYPE_PERMANENT, ipPlayerTool , oSkin);
}
The feat "Player Tool 1" will show up on the PC's radial menu, where the horse commands are, which can then be added to a quickslot. (See attached pic at the bottom.)


Then open the script x3_pl_tool01 and add whatever code you want. Here is a template with some pre-defined variables:
//::///////////////////////////////////////////////
//:: Player Tool 1 Instant Feat
//:: x3_pl_tool01
//:: Copyright (c) 2007 Bioware Corp.
//:://////////////////////////////////////////////
/*
    This is a blank feat script for use with the
    10 Player instant feats provided in NWN v1.69.

    Look up feats.2da, spells.2da and iprp_feats.2da

*/
//:://////////////////////////////////////////////
//:: Created By: Brian Chung
//:: Created On: 2007-12-05
//:://////////////////////////////////////////////

void main()
{
object oPC = OBJECT_SELF;
object oTarget = GetSpellTargetObject();
location lTarget = GetSpellTargetLocation();

//Add code here
}

To detect this custom feat on a PC use this (I made it into a conversation "Text Appears When..." check):
int StartingConditional()
{
int iResult = FALSE;
//feat from feat.2da line 1106 PLAYER_TOOL_01
if(GetHasFeat(1106, GetPCSpeaker()))
    {
    iResult = TRUE;
    }
return iResult;
}
And that's the basics.

Advantages over Activate Item/Unique Power Tag-Based Items

• It's instant, that is, the PC won't do any "activation" animations (though they could be added through scripting)
• It's not restricted by "rounds", that is, the PC won't have to wait 6 seconds between activations
• PCs no longer need tag-based items to get their custom sub-race powers (like darkness for the Drow)

Player Tool Framework
The Krit put together an amazing package that allows builders to easily restrict the player tool custom feats by skill, feat or class:
Player Tool Framework by The Krit

Have fun,
420

[attachment deleted by admin]

Nullabicity or Nullibicity

1. being nowhere

2. the condition or attribute of being nowhere; non-existence

So I heard about this word today and I think it's complete crap. This word has no real meaning. It's nonsense.

You can't be nowhere. You're either somewhere or you are nothing (or everything) but either way you aren't nowhere. And if you don't exist there is no state of non-existence. You can't not exist.

Throbble disagrees.

-420

Check it out: Virtual Apple ][

-420

The first trailer, a bunch of gameplay footage and an in-game cinematic for the new Wolfenstein game was posted last night.

Check it out here: Gametrailers.com

-420

Cuchulann discovered that dwarves couldn't mount horses in my mod for some reason. I found the problem, I scale the horses so to the PC's race so they don't change size when mounting/dismounting. Because of this an error in the horse scripts became evident:

There error is in the function HorseGetIsAMount in x3_inc_horse.

Line 2795 lists HORSE_NULL_RACE_GNOME twice, one of those should be HORSE_NULL_RACE_DWARF.

-420

EDIT: Remember that if you change an include script like x3_inc_horse you must use the Build option (you can choose to only build scripts) in order for the changes to take effect.

Rogue Dao posted an announcement on their forum that they have uploaded Planescape Trilogy: Purgatorio to NWVault. I'll post a link when it becomes available for download tonight or tomorrow.

EDIT: Oh and it requires MotB expansion.

-420

Check this review by Game Banshee of the new NWN2 expansion pack: Storm of Zehir Review

First paragraph:

From reading the forums here, I know that there are some people out there who hate Obsidian Entertainment with a passion, and who for some reason think that Knights of the Republic 2 and Neverwinter Nights 2 are an affront to western civilization. I’m not one of those people. I’d much rather champion a developer who tries new and interesting things but sometimes fails, rather than simply going along with a developer who clones ideas and succeeds. But something just seems to be wrong with Obsidian. They usually come up with good ideas, but can they actually develop games? Can they finish a project on time and without a plethora of bugs? Recent evidence suggests that the answer to these questions is “no,” and Storm of Zehir, their latest expansion pack for Neverwinter Nights 2, is at best a black eye for them.

And I thought I was being harsh with my opinions of Obsidian.

-420

Article on Yahoo News: Arnold: I'll take govs' money

Fresh off a grueling budget battle in his state, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Saturday that if fellow Republican governors threatening to turn down stimulus funds follow through on their pledge, he'd be happy to have their share.

"Everyone has their own way of thinking," Schwarzenegger said of those governors in an interview with POLITICO at the National Governors Association's annual meeting. "I just hope they give me their funding."

I may think that Republicans are a bunch of inbred water heads but I can't get enough of Arny.

-420

Rob McGinnis posted to a BioWare thread that NWN2 patch 1.23 will have an autodownloader for PWC files. How this will work exactly is unclear.

-420

Since there was no documentation for the new 1.69 Ride skill, various feats and the PDK prestige class I went in game and copied down all the details for everyone's convenience. I also tossed in an undocumented feat (Great Smiting) from HotU that Elessar pointed out to me. Thanks Elessar!

Ride (Skill)
Ability: Dexterity
Requires Training: No
Classes: All
The character has spent time training to use a horse in combat, and can perform actions unskilled people cannot.

Note: Horses and the Ride skill are only used in the Premium Module "Neverwinter Nights - Wyvern Crown of Cormyr" and specific community made modules.

Great Smiting (Feat)
Type of Feat: Class
Prerequisite: 21st level, Charisma 25+, Smite Good or Smite Evil
Specifics: Whenever a character makes a successful smite attack, it adds two times the characters level to damage. This feat may be taken multiple times, up to a maximum or 10 times - each time adding additional damage equal to the character's level to the smite attack.
Use: Combat Mode

Mount Actions (Feat)
Type of Feat: General
Prerequisite: None
Specifics: This series of actions enables players to interact with their mounts.
Use: Automatic

Mounted Archery (Feat)
Type of Feat: General
Prerequisite: Ride 1 rank, Mounted Combat
Specifics: The attack penalty for using a bow while mounted is reduced from -4 to -2.
Use: Automatic

Mounted Combat (Feat)
Type of Feat: General
Prerequisite: Ride 1 rank
Required for: Mounted Archery
Specifics: While mounted, once per round you will attempt a Ride check to increase your Armor Class by 1 point for every 5 of the check result.
Use: Automatic

Summon Mount (Feat)
Type of Feat: Class
Prerequisite: Paladin
Specifics: Summons to the paladin a faithful, magical beat - a warhorse mount. The beast is more powerful as the paladin gets more powerful.

Note: Horses and the Ride skill are only used in the Premium Module "Neverwinter Nights - Wyvern Crown of Cormyr" and specific community made modules.
Use: Selected

Purple Dragon Knight (Prestige Class)
The famous Purple Dragons of Cormyr are regarded across Faerûn as exemplars of disciplined, skilled, loyal soldiers. Their reputation is deserved partly because of the heroic actions of their leaders, the Purple Dragon knights.

Purple Dragon knights develop uncanny skills related to coordinating and leading soldiers. Most are fighters, rangers, or paladins, but a few bards, clerics, and rogues have been known to become Purple Dragon knights. Sorcerers and wizards tend to join the War Wizards, Cormyr's elite brigade of fighting spellcasters, while barbarians are too undisciplined, and druids and monks too "uncivilized" in Cormyr to enter this career.

Hit Die: d10
Proficiencies: A purple dragon knight gains no additional proficiencies.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + int modifyer
Class Skills: Craft Armor, Craft Trap, Craft Weapon, Discipline, Intimidate, Lore, Persuade, Ride

Requirements
Alignment: Non-Evil and Non-Chaotic
Base Attack Bonus: +4
Feats: Mounted Combat (requires Ride 1)
Skills: Intimidate 1 rank, Listen 2 ranks, Persuade 1 rank, Ride 2 ranks, Spot 2 ranks

Abilities
Level
1: Rallying Cry - +1 Attack Bonus to all allies within 60 feet, can be used three times a day.
   Heroic Shield - Able to defend an ally, granting them a +4 armor class bonus for one round.
2: Inspire Courage - +2 saves vs. mind affecting, and +1 attack and damage, useable once per day.
3: Fear - As fear spell, useable once per day.
4: Inspire Courage - Can now be used twice a day.
   Oath of Wrath - +2 bonus to attack, damage, saves and skill vs. single enemy.
5: Final Stand - +2d10 HP to a number of allies equal to Purple Dragon Knight level + Charisma bonus, once per day.

Rallying Cry (Feat)
Type of Feat: Class
Prerequisite: Purple Dragon Knight level 1.
Specifics: Three times per day, a Purple Dragon Knight can utter a powerful shout that gives all allies a +1 bonus to attack and a 20% bonus to land speed for one round.
Use: Selected

Heroic Shield (Feat)
Type of Feat: Class
Prerequisite: Purple Dragon Knight level 1.
Specifics: You may aid an ally, giving them a +4 bonus to their armor class for one round.
Use: Selected

Inspire Courage (Feat)
Type of Feat: Class
Prerequisite: Purple Dragon Knight level 2.
Specifics: Once per day, the Purple Dragon Knight can inspire his troops in combat. All affected creatures gain a +1 bonus to Attack and Damage, and a +2 bonus against mind affecting spells.
These bonuses last for 10 rounds.
Use: Selected

Fear (Feat)
Type of Feat: Class
Prerequisite: Purple Dragon Knight level 3.
Specifics: Once per day, the Purple Dragon Knight can cast the Fear spell with a caster level equal to his character level.
Use: Selected

Oath of Wrath (Feat)
Type of Feat: Class
Prerequisite: Purple Dragon Knight level 4.
Specifics: Once a day, the Purple Dragon Knight may swear to defeat a single opponent. He gains a +2 bonus to Attack, Damage, Saves, and Skills vs. that opponent. This lasts for a number of rounds equal to twice his class level.
Use: Selected

Final Stand (Feat)
Type of Feat: Class
Prerequisite: Purple Dragon Knight level 5.
Specifics: Once a day, the Purple Dragon Knight can inspire his troops to a heroic effort. Each ally in the area gains 2d10 hitpoints. This ability can affect a number of people equal to his Purple Dragon Knight level + Charisma modifier, and lasts for the same number of rounds.
Use: Selected

I've been working on a set of quests that scale to the level of the PC. However, I ran into a problem with the "boss" NPC which is a wizard. At lower levels he works just fine but once he gets up into the higher levels he stops attacking.

The reason for this is the Invisibility spell. Apparently the default AI won't attack if it has the Indivisibility effect on it because that would make the Invisibility wear off. Unfortunately this means that you can pound on him all day and he will never attack, especially at level 40 where Invisibility lasts for 40 minutes.

The fix for this is to simply put this bit of code in the NPC's heartbeat.
void main()
{
effect eEffect = GetFirstEffect(OBJECT_SELF);
while(GetIsEffectValid(eEffect))
    {
    if(GetEffectType(eEffect) == 56)
        {
        RemoveEffect(OBJECT_SELF, eEffect);
        }
    eEffect=GetNextEffect(OBJECT_SELF);
    }
}
After banging my head on this for a week and I can finally get back to finishing up the quests.

-420

Here are the specs on Throbble's brand new computer:

CPU: Intel Core 2 E8400 (3.0 GHz, 1333 FSB) w/ Dual Core and 6MB cache
RAM: 4GB DDR2 SDRAM at 800 MHz
Video: EVGA GeForce 9800 GTX+, 512 MB DDR3, PCI-E 2.0x16
Sound: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio
HD: 500GB NCQ SATA (7200 RPM) w/ 16MB DataBurst Cache

And then all the other unimportant shit including a new all-in-one HP printer.

Not counting the printer or monitor (didn't get a new one) the total came to: $1649.09 USD

-420

My bookmark uses the following link and gives me a "Network Timeout" error:

http://lucidmagic.net:8080/forum/index.php

This apparently no longer works and I thought LM was down for the past week.

I now use this link and it works fine:

http://lucidmagic.net/

-420