Middle-Earth By Night - [Old World of Darkness]

[FACM]

I had a new idea for a module, staring at my shelf full of RPG books. I wanted to see if I could implement the original World of Darkness system/setting into a roguelike game through ToME. It's a pretty big scope, but it should be doable in small chunks with enough planning.

EDIT 6/29/10 - I finally decided to write up all of those little chunks. They vary in time required, and probably contain a lot of sub-tasks themselves. Regardless, my task list:

1: Make basic module setup (done)
2: Use basic dungeon for testing (done)
3: Create basic skeleton for future development (partial)
4: Create and implement StoryTeller module (partial)
5: Create Vampire racial traits (done)
6: Implement basic melee combat (done)
7: Implement basic NPC monsters (done)
8: Implement vampire abilities (partial)
9: Implement basic UI (done)
10: Implement 1-2 custom dungeons
11: Implement world map
12: Change starting location based on race
13: Polish up stand-out issues
14: Implement lighting system
15: Implement Equipment/Weapons and armor
16: Implement ranged combat
17: Create Werewolf racial traits
18: Create Mortal racial traits (partial)
19: Implement cities to visit with non-hostiles outside of dungeons.
21: Implement additional dungeons
22: Implement Willpower spending
23: Implement werewolf abilities
24: Polish up stand-out issues
25: Implement Umbra and spirits
26: Implement more NPC monsters
27: Create initial metaplot
28: Create race-specific storylines
29: Fix/Implement social-interaction-based powers
30: Create Mage racial template
31: Create initial Mage magic system
32: Expand/enhance equipment system to include new item slots
33: Consider a crafting system
34: Examine game balance, consider options
35: Examine faithfulness to the original system, consider options
36: Re-arrange file structure to be more organized
37: Put up any relevant notes about process so far onto wiki
38: Implement Mage storyline
39: Expand existing storylines
40: Add additional locations
41: Polish up stand-out issues
42: Implement reasonable non-core vampiric abilities
43: Implement reasonable non-core shapeshifters
44: Iterate over Mage magic system
45: Create Hunter racial traits
46: Implement Hunter abilities
47: Implement Hunter storyline
48: Expand existing storylines
49: Add additional locations
50: Polish up stand-out issues
51: Create Changeling racial traits
52: Implement Changeling abilities
53: Implement Changeling storyline
54: Expand existing storylines
55: Add additional locations
56: Polish up stand-out issues
57: Create Demon racial traits
58: Implement Demon abilities
59: Implement Demon storyline
60: Expand existing storylines
61: Add additional locations
62: Polish up stand-out issues
63: Create Mummy racial traits
64: Implement Mummy abilities
65: Implement Mummy storyline
66: Expand existing storylines
67: Add additional locations
68: Polish up stand-out issues

So far, my early test is letting me move around the dungeon, but the stock monsters are standing still, and I can't attack them. Since all I changed was adding races into the example module so far, I'm not totally sure what happened there.

[Antagonist]

Did you add an ai to all of them?

I don't really have an AI guide, since I havn't looked at it yet, but I don't see it being too distant. Still mucking around with dialogs. If you figure it out tho, let me know.

[Zonk]

You might want to check this old T2 module out http://modules.t-o-m-e.net/module.php?id=7. Might provide some inspiration/ideas.

[FACM]

A closer look shows that it seems to have broken when i switched the ""role" descriptor to "race". Maybe there's another point somewhere that's not currently mentioned in a guide that I need to change.

Zonk, while that's interesting to look at, I don't know how easy it'd be to port a 2.x module to 4. I have all the references I need, though I do need to figure out how to port the Storyteller System into ToME, assuming that's possible.

[Zonk]

Ah. So you want to also port all the game rules too, and not just the setting. T4 looks EXTREMELY flexible - there isn't much that is hardcoded, so you should be able to, although it might require major work. Don't forget to change the rng so it can handle dice pools and difficulties.

Well, I'm fairly sure that will be doable - T4 looks VERY flexible. However it might require major work.

As for the race/role issue - I assume you changed the birther to ask for races instead/in addition for roles. I don't understand how changing descriptors could mess up monsters though(unless you did something with factions.)

[darkgod]

Yeah birther does not affect NPCs in any way

[FACM]

Yes, it's a faction issue. T-Engine is case sensitive when you refer to them.

That said, back to working on the core of the mod. I should probably plan out what I want and make a timeline to follow, though I think I'm gonna poke around and learn how stuff works first.

EDIT: Issue isn't totally resolved. Sample enemy now comes to attack me, but I don't ever hit it back. I think that they have negative faction with me, but I have 0 faction with them. I haven't yet figured out a simple line of code to get the enemy's faction to display on-screen when I go to attack.

[darkgod]

Take a look at the tooltip() method of ToME actors and npcs

Basically I just do:

Code: Select all

	local factcolor, factstate = "#ANTIQUE_WHITE#", "neutral"
	if self:reactionToward(game.player) < 0 then factcolor, factstate = "#LIGHT_RED#", "hostile"
	elseif self:reactionToward(game.player) > 0 then factcolor, factstate = "#LIGHT_GREEN#", "friendly"
	end

And then use factcolor and factstate to display the factions in the tooltip along with

Code: Select all

Faction.factions[self.faction].name

[Antagonist]

Hey,

The faction guide I created entirely from Source diving and seeing how ToME handles things, as well as chatting with DarkGod. I have not actually implemented it yet.

If you find anything wrong with the guide, or see something that can be added now that you are implementing it, please add it to the guide.

[FACM]

Darkgod, that was exactly what I needed to figure out what was happening here.

Code: Select all

newBirthDescriptor{
	type = "race",
	name = "Vampire",
	desc = {
		"Vampires are undead, remaining animated by an infusion of blood tainted with Cain's power. Often, the real powers within major cities will be vampires.",
	},
	descriptor_choices =
	{
		subgroup =
		{
			__ALL__ = "never",
			Brujah = "allow",
			Gangrel = "allow",
			Malkavian = "allow",
			Nosferatu = "allow",
			Toreador = "allow",
			Tremere = "allow",
			Ventrue = "allow",
			Lasombra = "allow",
			Tzimisce = "allow",
			Assamite = "allow",
			FollowersOfSet = "allow",
			Giovanni = "allow",
			Ravnos = "allow",
			Catiff = "allow"
		},
	},
	talents = {},
	experience = 1.0,
	copy = {
		faction = "vampires",
		type = "undead", subtype="vampire",
	},
}

The faction setting here overrides the later ones, as seen here:

Code: Select all

newBirthDescriptor{
	type = "subgroup",
	name = "Brujah",
	desc = "Once a group of philosopher-kings, now most commonly found as gang members and street rabble.",
	faction = "camarilla"
}

In this case, all vampires belonged to 'vampires', rather than 'camarilla' or 'sabbat. I guess that the copy = {} statement over-rides later options by subgroups?

I've been doing professional programming for 2 years now, and this stuff makes me feel like a newb again.

[darkgod]

Hehe

Yes copy overrides

[FACM]

I've decided to try and start uploading nightly (or, as often as I can work on it) files for this mod.

You can download what I've gotten done so far from http://drop.io/MEBNToMe4 , and each one is named after the upload date [MMDDYY].

Currently, I've got a shell of a game. Placeholder descriptors for mortals and vampires (first game to get implemented) are up, the 2 stock example kobolds have opposite factions, and I've got placeholder talents in as well. [EDIT: Oh, combat also uses the Storyteller system rolls, though I haven't figured out how to call up the attacker's stats correctly while doing so.]

Hopefully, this will do a lot of things. It should give me a remote backup, get me into the habit of working on this project daily, give the community a full conversion mod (in the sense that it'll gut most of ToME's stock classes and replace them) to look at as an example, and maybe just possibly get some other people looking at my code and fixing bugs overnight .

I'm also a little bit curious as to how many visitors here have actually played the World of Darkness pen-and-paper games.

[Frumple]

I... read (part of) one of th'player handbook things, once, several years ago. Definitely give the module a shot once it's got s'more core features implemented, yeah. Or some code I can plunder . Good luck, in any case!

[Canderel]

It's my favourite RPG sessions (Mage). WOD rules to me is so much better than DnD and the rest. Admittedly in none of them I am really a rules boff. But the way it worked was better.

Also, I am a big fan of the PC game, the Masquerade. I got your game, but... well I'd suggest you first implement one or two races completely, and then add 1 or 2 zones... Make it playable, then you will draw more ppl.

As for the coding, lua is just another language, you'll be noob for the first week or so. Though really what you're learning is the T-Engine, not Lua...

[Antagonist]

I think you may be further than me.

I'm busy with a 4Emodule, dungeons and dragons ruleset. Unfortunately with due projects I havn't been able to do that much, something that will go better next week.

If you want a peek at the source so far:
http://bitbucket.org/antagonist/tengine-4emodule

Uses mercurial as a versioning system, but there is a Get Source link on that page that lets you download an archive.