Small Aether Operators fix

[Frumple]

As per the title. Adds a little bit of extra code (seriously little, it's all of 38 more characters) that makes the deep scan and unlearn actions actually do all the appropriate talent levels in one go. Use this instead of the original addon. Previously, they'd only increment in 1 level steps, which combined with T4's somewhat chunky dialogue system made using the addon significantly more annoying than it had to be.

Don't intend to upload to the main page or properly structure this (i.e. do more than just edit the original files), because
A) I don't want to go through the effort, particularly considering the tweak was done mostly just so it'd stop bothering me.
B) I don't have permission from the original addon author, and considering they apparently haven't logged in since around 2015, it's pretty unlikely I'll ever get it. Also I don't really want it. Original author, if you e'er show up again, you're welcome to the change.
and C) I'd be entirely unsurprised if I'm the only one that remembers the original addon exists.

But I figured since it seems like it's working right with the fiddling, might as well put it out there one way or another. So here whoever still cares about it besides me goes. All credit to... e something or other... etc., etc.

[Radon26]

does your vrsion has updated talent requirements? because last i checked, i believe the second talent, has the same req as the third or something like that.

i had to fix that manually. (along with reducing cd and stamina cost...)

[Frumple]

Nah, didn't mess with that part. Or the cost/cooldown... it's a lot less of a nuisance when it doesn't take a half dozen uses to steal everything from something, so I just left it alone. This thing just fixes the deep scan/unlearn behavior, 'cause that's pretty much the only part of the class I give the least of hoots about :V

... I don't think I ever noticed that the level reqs were a little out of place, honestly. Can't recall if I've ever put points into the third or forth tier talents. Stuff's bugnuts enough without actually using the 500% damage multiplier or invincibility, heh.

[stormbringer]

As per the title. Adds a little bit of extra code (seriously little, it's all of 38 more characters) that makes the deep scan and unlearn actions actually do all the appropriate talent levels in one go. Use this instead of the original addon. Previously, they'd only increment in 1 level steps, which combined with T4's somewhat chunky dialogue system made using the addon significantly more annoying than it had to be.

Don't intend to upload to the main page or properly structure this (i.e. do more than just edit the original files), because
A) I don't want to go through the effort, particularly considering the tweak was done mostly just so it'd stop bothering me.
B) I don't have permission from the original addon author, and considering they apparently haven't logged in since around 2015, it's pretty unlikely I'll ever get it. Also I don't really want it. Original author, if you e'er show up again, you're welcome to the change.
and C) I'd be entirely unsurprised if I'm the only one that remembers the original addon exists.

But I figured since it seems like it's working right with the fiddling, might as well put it out there one way or another. So here whoever still cares about it besides me goes. All credit to... e something or other... etc., etc.

i use it occasionally and so thank you for the update.

it could use additional changes aside from it's nature as a op cheat. It'd be great for those that choose to use it if it would go ahead and reveal the talent tree on the level up page for the talent stolen. Even if it is an orphan talent with no tree normally revealed (for example something like the spit poison talent or disarm talent normally given by the escort quest)

and while aether operator itself is definitely an op cheat it would be nice if instead there were magic items that gave a one or a few shot use of this power. Sher'tul memory crystals! Ancient Deryni psionic transfer spheres! Alchemist golem holo data upgrade sticks! Pre Spell Blaze eldritch necromancer or flaming telepath mind raper wands! They come loaded with data or empty and ready to receive data for later transfer. Empty ones can steal a talent or talent tree (locked or unlocked,) neural based stat points, cat points, etc to bequeath on some target later. they are however highly volatile memory and use will usually destroy the item on the first successful download.



a somewhat less less op cheaty version.

for your ear candy pleasure BOC Veteran's of the Psychic wars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGKNaIXtBZQ

Song is actually cowritten by BOC and fantasy novel author Michael Moorcock along with the song black blade about one of his character's sentient weapons.

[Frumple]

Making an item that just casts deep scan actually wouldn't be particularly difficult, even if you wanted it to have limited activations. That said, if anyone does it it won't be me, heh. I've been managing some little things here and there lately, but in general I'm pretty incredibly terrible at coding so more than little things aren't even remotely on the table at the moment. Similarly, reskinned stat/talent point potions that can just generate whenever is pretty much a complete non-issue to make. Just about anyone could probably get that running, since it should be manageable with nothing more than a bit of copy and pasting.

... that aside, while the level up screen thing is an idea and might be nice were it able to happen without there being issues... it kinda' can't. Most of T4's dialogue stuff is kinda' clunky in regards to performance*, and all it takes to see what the effect of a stuffed level up interface is (as a mid to late game tech paladin would have, with the considered change), is rolling an adventurer. Short form if you haven't done it before is the performance can get pretty terrible, extremely long pauses when opening the thing up, investing stat points, stuff like that. It's also a fair pain to actually navigate when you've got a few dozen trees (locked or otherwise) jammed in there. It's just not really something you'd want to do when leaning on T4/T-Engine's code, at least at the moment. Stuff does fine with what it normally works with, but extreme edge cases (like a tech paladin that's been running for much time after getting deep scan) can cause problems.

Some kind of custom built menu specifically designed to handle something like a tech paladin (i.e. hundreds of talents on a single character) would be pretty awesome, but if you want more than what the 'm' menu already provides, it's going to take exactly that. And that's so far beyond my own capability (and interest, honestly) it's actually mildly amusing.

*If you want a really fun and easy way to see that in practice, play through a few zones in one go, then open up the message log and hold down the up arrow. Take a count of how long it takes for your RAM to bottom out in the face of a T4 with a memory imprint five or six times greater than normal and still going up Don't think it's a memory leak, exactly (the usage will go back to normal after you close the log), but... yeah.

===

All that said, if you want a less cheaty tech paladin, you probably want to check out the glutton addon (and maybe the tweak addon for it that's also floating around somewhere around here). It's actually what aether operators took the original talent theft code from, and had a lot more effort (i.e. any, ehehe) put into balancing it.

[stormbringer]

i built my own super duper computer (TM) and thus have a large amount of high performance ram and a water cooled 6 core processor sitting on a premium hard core MB. tech paladin on full tilt "imma steal everything" mode has a second or two lag when opening the m and the level up screen.

[Frumple]

Is good for you, ehehe. Me, I've got a 4 gig ram, 2.1 ghz dual core laptop running vista :V

... mind you, pretty sure that message log thing could still flatline your available ram without too much trouble. Thing can go up like a gig every two or three hundred lines of combat log, iirc, and you generate a lot more than two or three hundred lines of combat log

[stormbringer]

the zipped package... where is it supposed to be unzipped? the original add on was just the standard file. the update has several folders in it

[Frumple]

You can stick the contents in a new folder named "tome-aether-operators" (sans quotes) inside your addons folder, or you can just put the zip in your addons folder itself and rename the .zip to a .teaa, and not bother with unzipping it at all. The attached file basically is the standard one, it's just renamed 'cause the forum won't let you attach .teaa files.

It is named the same and everything as the original addon, though, mind you. It's intended to replace, because I was being incredibly lazy about it and didn't (and still don't) feel like going through the honestly pretty trivial amount of effort to make it not work like that, so if you want to keep the original around you probably want to make a copy (or just get it off the website or whatever) or somethin'.

[stormbringer]

thanks!