Porting ToME2 to the T4 engine

[Zizzo]

Well, in that case [and since DarkGod has already bumped the engine version out from under my last release... ]:

Release 0.2.1 "Wizard Needs Food Badly"

New in this release:

• Implemented food. This includes coverage of the various side effects of eating various things (I think), the various effects of being gorged/weak/starving/fainting, consuming food more rapidly on the worldmap (I think...) and dropping out of the worldmap when weak. I've also included an optional alternate food display in the stats list that shows the exact numerical value of your food state, so you can see exactly how close you are to hungry.
• Related to the preceding, we now prevent the player from going up to the world map if they're hungry or have the Cut or Poison effect. Vampires in daylight and worldmap ambushes will come later.
• And yes, the new hotness you were promised:

  

  hotkey-icons.png (50.79 KiB) Viewed 4937 times

  As mentioned above, currently the hotkey icon size can be user-adjusted but the size and position of the toolbar itself cannot. And to make the toolbar work with thaumaturgy spell hotkeys, I've done some quite clever fiddling (if I do say so myself ) and added an extensible infrastructure to allow downstream code to define its own hotkey types. You can look at the T2 module's hotkey type definitions to get an idea of how this works.
• Since the icons we're using in the toolbar come from Game-icons.net under the Creative Commons CC-BY-3.0 license, we need a Credits dialog to credit the icon creators. It lives on the "Credits" entry (hence the name) of the main game menu on <Esc>. The credits list includes everyone I can think of off the top of my head that should be there, but I don't doubt I've missed people; if you think you should be listed, let me know and you will be!

And as always, the .team file for the release is available from my site, along with the Subversion repo and WebSVN front-end thereto.

[darkgod]

Yay for icons !

[Zizzo]

Oh, added a poll.

[Steven Aus]

Do the different races, types (as in base type or some other type) and Gods eventually give different starting locations and main quests/other quests? I don't believe a Vampire Orc worshipping Melkor would necessarily be out to depose Sauron.

[Steven Aus]

Game stalling bug: when you run to a shop, it keeps on saying that you ran for x turns, and then it stopped because you didn't move. Once the bug has started the game is in an infinite loop, to avoid it next game you have to run next to the shop and walk into the shop tile to trigger the shop dialog normally. I'm sure the "run into shop repeating error" is an easy one to fix.

Another run bug: /mod/class/EnergyBasedEvilHack.lua:32 tick. Can't do a full report because it's gone in an infinite loop. There was a Bandits quest in Bree if that makes any difference.

Yes, running almost always causes the game to hang.

Is there a spoiler tag on this forum?

[Steven Aus]

Now I've found I get an error when I try to eat some food. Since eating food is necessary to continue in the game, I will need to stop until this bug is fixed. Obviously, the run bug and shoot arrow not being implemented need to be fixed too.

EDIT: Attached latest save.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1q38o57wt9px9 ... er.7z?dl=0

EDIT2: Here is a save when I try to use the Satisfy Hunger scroll - this crashes in a different spot from the food ration. When I tried to eat the food ration, it gave the error before the food ration was removed (so I had the same number). The satisfy hunger scroll was removed before the error, and no nutrition was added to the player (I had bought 3, and only had 2 left, and no hunger was removed).
https://www.dropbox.com/s/im438ulf93nxi ... r2.7z?dl=0

So there does not seem to be a way to remove hunger at the moment, which means once you start getting hungry, you can't really continue the game very much longer.

[Zizzo]

[sound F/X: source diving] … [sound F/X: forehead repeatedly striking desk] See, that's what I get for checking in code before testing it: food rations were calling :playerEatFood() instead of :playerEat(), Scrolls of Satisfy Hunger were getting applied backward (ie. starving you to death instead of feeding you), the aforementioned starvation code was trying to apply the player to itself as damage, and the run code was just tripping over itself. I've pushed out an updated .team that should fix these; We Apologize for the Inconvenience.™

Game stalling bug: when you run to a shop, it keeps on saying that you ran for x turns, and then it stopped because you didn't move. Once the bug has started the game is in an infinite loop, to avoid it next game you have to run next to the shop and walk into the shop tile to trigger the shop dialog normally. I'm sure the "run into shop repeating error" is an easy one to fix.

Now, this bug I can't reproduce, though I suspect it to be a manifestation of the running bug I did find and fix.

[Oh, and for future reference, logfiles are a lot more useful than savefiles — particularly because I really have no idea what to do with savefiles…]

Do the different races, types (as in base type or some other type) and Gods eventually give different starting locations and main quests/other quests?

(shrug) The original T2 doesn't do anything like that, so I had no plans to; that sort of thing is way above my pay grade anyway.

I started a High Elf Ranger (who starts with no stat penalties and is good at ranged and melee) and then found out that he couldn't shoot arrows yet. =)

And again, this is exactly the kind of information I need: what people want that I haven't implemented yet. I was actually neck deep in work on the map generator, but I can certainly switch over and try to decipher how the T-Engine does archery for a while instead.

Is there a spoiler tag on this forum?

Not that I know of, but most of the people in this thread probably already know anything T2-related that you might have to reveal.

[Steven Aus]

Okay, since all Magic Users seem to have this ability, the functionality for Copy Spell would be great to implement (the ability that copies a spell you have to an item). And while you're at it, functionality for Alchemist skills would be great: Forge Item, Recharge Item, Extract Essences. Runecrafter skill: Cast Runespell, and the ability to use Runes to create new spells (if that is different from Cast Runespell skill). Also Globe of Light (a skill Sorcerors start with, not sure if it's learnable by other characters), possibly permanently lighting magical darkness for those tiles for the rest of the game.

I'd like you to implement Thunderstrike, Ride the Straight Road, Return to Town (the Thunderlord abilities). Also, what God skills are there? I have a huge amount of Piety and nothing to spend it on.

Is there any Magic User that can cast spells without having an associated item? I've found even Sorcerors lose their spells when their items are taken or dropped. Could you implement remembered spells for Sorcerors, since they are meant to learn spells innately and can cast them until mana runs out?

And I know I've already given you a lot to do, but could you implement all the scroll and potion functionality when you have the time? As of now, I'm not sure which scrolls and potions have functionality and which don't, and it would be fantastic if they all were functional, even if some have bad effects.

Also, what does the option about artifacts being removed if you leave the level do - what are "artifacts"? Is it any item, or only special items? Also, do bodies rot?

I rescued a princess, but when I chose the reward there was an error. I'm pretty sure I didn't get a reward from the princess, only from the dead captor. I thought I might have had a full inventory (you might want to check for that if you haven't already, and be able to place the item at the character's feet if they don't have room) but I think I had at least one free slot. So I don't think the princess' reward is currently working.

How does DeathMold work? Do they have a permanent teleporting spell, since they can't move normally? Anyway they can't currently be used because they get endless errors on start.

Also, are there any things in the game that were not in the original T2? For example, are there any abilities that make sense that can be used in a later version of the engine that couldn't be made back then?

[Crim, The Red Thunder]

I'd like you to implement Thunderstrike, Ride the Straight Road, Return to Town (the Thunderlord abilities). Also, what God skills are there? I have a huge amount of Piety and nothing to spend it on.

If we're adding gods in, may as well do the whole kit and kaboodle of standard tome gods. There weren't many (and they only had 4 spells each, iirc.) And when we get around to see the music (which was the full levle map, light, and ID) maybe make it play nice with preserve mode, so we don't lose artifacts just by mapping a level before we leave?
Though a theme addon set of gods would be nice later.

Is there any Magic User that can cast spells without having an associated item? I've found even Sorcerors lose their spells when their items are taken or dropped. Could you implement remembered spells for Sorcerors, since they are meant to learn spells innately and can cast them until mana runs out?

This isn't the way T2 did, but it seems a good candidate for an addon. There was a t2 module that did things this way... furyband?

And I know I've already given you a lot to do, but could you implement all the scroll and potion functionality when you have the time? As of now, I'm not sure which scrolls and potions have functionality and which don't, and it would be fantastic if they all were functional, even if some have bad effects.

Eh. Some truly are near useless, and are a lower priority, though getting all the useful ones working would be nice. Potions of stat, healing, *healing*, restore stats, restore experience, slime mold juice.

Also, what does the option about artifacts being removed if you leave the level do - what are "artifacts"? Is it any item, or only special items? Also, do bodies rot?

Assuming it's working as designed, if preserve mode is off, then when you leave a level, any artifacts that were on the floor are gone, and will never regenerate again. If it's on, they go back into the pool of items to potentially be generated AS LONG AS the player never identified them.
As for what they are, artifacts are the equivalent of 'yellow' items in Tome4. They're special items (indestructible, always) that have the same stats and abilities (and a fancy description, if implemented) each game, and can only be found once per game.

I rescued a princess, but when I chose the reward there was an error. I'm pretty sure I didn't get a reward from the princess, only from the dead captor. I thought I might have had a full inventory (you might want to check for that if you haven't already, and be able to place the item at the character's feet if they don't have room) but I think I had at least one free slot. So I don't think the princess' reward is currently working.

IIRC, it placed the item on the stairs down, where the princess was standing in T2. Not sure how it's doing it now.

How does DeathMold work? Do they have a permanent teleporting spell, since they can't move normally? Anyway they can't currently be used because they get endless errors on start.

In classic T2, Deathmold's did a random phase door everytime you attempted to move.

Also, are there any things in the game that were not in the original T2? For example, are there any abilities that make sense that can be used in a later version of the engine that couldn't be made back then?

Not yet. Though some abilities are being re-imagined 'the way they should have been' like mimic arms being a sustain, instead of something you recast over and over and over again.

[Zizzo]

Okay, since all Magic Users seem to have this ability, the functionality for Copy Spell would be great to implement (the ability that copies a spell you have to an item).

Right, that shouldn't be too hard.

And while you're at it, functionality for Alchemist skills would be great: Forge Item, Recharge Item, Extract Essences.

Yikes. Alchemy will be very complicated, especially artifact creation.

Runecrafter skill: Cast Runespell, and the ability to use Runes to create new spells (if that is different from Cast Runespell skill).

Runecraft, I think, will be fairly straightforward (famous last words… ); the tricky bit would be what kind of UI to give it.

Also Globe of Light (a skill Sorcerors start with, not sure if it's learnable by other characters), possibly permanently lighting magical darkness for those tiles for the rest of the game.

? [sound F/X: source diving] The Globe of Light spell should be implemented in the release branch; it's a Fire spell, so any character that can put skill points in Fire or Sorcery can cast it. As for non-spellcasters, the usual replacements, Scrolls/Staffs of Light and Rods of Illumination, aren't implemented yet.

I'd like you to implement Thunderstrike, Ride the Straight Road, Return to Town (the Thunderlord abilities).

Okay, doable, I think.

Also, what God skills are there? I have a huge amount of Piety and nothing to spend it on.

Most of the god spells should be implemented… [checks notes] Manwe's Call for Manwe, Mind Steal for Melkor and Uproot for Yavanna are missing, but the rest are covered. Look for suitable spellbooks in the Temple, or Holy Tomes for your god, which will cover all their spells. Also, some gods give bonuses to things like stats or speed based on your piety; I think those are all implemented.

And when we get around to see the music (which was the full levle map, light, and ID) maybe make it play nice with preserve mode, so we don't lose artifacts just by mapping a level before we leave?

[checks notes] That should already be covered as of v0.1.5.

Is there any Magic User that can cast spells without having an associated item? I've found even Sorcerors lose their spells when their items are taken or dropped.

Well, Geomancers get innate Geomancy spells (all of which are implemented except for Geolysis and Elemental Minion), and Thaumaturgists get random Thaumaturgy attack spells. They can also use most of the spells other spellcasting classes can, though, and for those they need books (or analogues) like everyone else.

Could you implement remembered spells for Sorcerors, since they are meant to learn spells innately and can cast them until mana runs out?

Hmm, that's probably a big enough deviation from T2 "canon" that it would need to go in an addon.

And I know I've already given you a lot to do, but could you implement all the scroll and potion functionality when you have the time? As of now, I'm not sure which scrolls and potions have functionality and which don't, and it would be fantastic if they all were functional, even if some have bad effects.

Right, those probably do need to be higher priority.

Eh. Some truly are near useless, and are a lower priority, though getting all the useful ones working would be nice. Potions of stat, healing, *healing*, restore stats, restore experience, slime mold juice.

I think most of those are implemented, actually… [sound F/X: source diving] okay, !oRLL is only implemented in trunk (but then, experience loss is only implemented in trunk, so it balances out ).

Also, do bodies rot?

I don't think corpses rot away in T2. I'm pretty sure the "carry a dragon corpse around for Eru piety" trick would have tripped over that, at least.

I rescued a princess, but when I chose the reward there was an error. I'm pretty sure I didn't get a reward from the princess, only from the dead captor.

Yeah, that's happened before, alas. Usually so far it's not the princess quest itself, but an error trying to create the reward object. This is where a logfile would be particularly useful.

I thought I might have had a full inventory (you might want to check for that if you haven't already, and be able to place the item at the character's feet if they don't have room) but I think I had at least one free slot.

The quest reward gets placed at the princess' feet, so that isn't the problem.

How does DeathMold work?

They don't yet. As Crim describes, normally they move via random short-range teleport; they also get race talents (none of which are currently implemented) for controlled teleport, telekinetically fetching items, and going up/down levels.

Anyway they can't currently be used because they get endless errors on start.

Doesn't surprise me (a logfile of the errors certainly wouldn't be turned down, though ).

Also, are there any things in the game that were not in the original T2? For example, are there any abilities that make sense that can be used in a later version of the engine that couldn't be made back then?

I really should be keeping notes about those… Off the top of my head, the most noticeable changes from T2 canon so far are:

• As Crim mentioned, Beornings' Bearform talent and mimicry-form talents conferred by Mimicry Cloaks are now sustained talents rather than merely having a long duration; things like Mimicry's Arms/Legs Mimicry talents, when eventually implemented, will almost certainly be handled similarly.
• Worn symbiotes can optionally operate in a "semi-autonomous" mode: instead of just adding one round of its melee attacks to yours when you attack a monster as per standard T2, it can attack adjacent monsters on its own at its natural "movement" speed, sort of like T4 Mindslayers and their telekinetically wielded weapons.
• Relic quests now pre-determine which level of the temple will have the relic piece, instead of checking each time you enter a level. On the one hand, this means you can't fail the quest by falling through a trapdoor on the level with the relic; on the other hand, it means you can't use the questionable T2 trick of just checking the first level of the temple five times.
• Princess quest rooms on the last level of a dungeon don't get a spurious down stair that teleports you out of the dungeon.

[Steven Aus]

I'm actually sending all the errors that will allow me to, as error reports. Do you get those, or do they get sent to darkgod?

You don't have to do the Alchemy skills just yet if they are really difficult to create. Btw: how are you going with the Shoot Arrow ability implementation?

I'll give you an error log for the princess reward and the Deathmold start. I just need to reproduce them (I can do both pretty easily, don't worry).

EDIT: Deathmold errors only happen when you hover over their skills, so it's to do with not having a description set up. I'd love it if you could implement the Deathmold race - it seems like a pretty cool race to play when implemented.

EDIT 2: The princess artifact does actually get correctly generated, but here is an error report that happens at around the same time:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/7xz18i0yrd1mw ... r.zip?dl=0

I was thinking of offering help to add features to the TOME4 version of TOME2. If Sorcerors were to be able to remember spells, there would also need to be something that prevents them buying spellbooks etc., transcribing the spells and then selling them back. But sorcerors in D&D definitely memorise spells, so it would be great to have an addon that does that in TOME2->TEngine4. The other magic users need to memorise spells before they use them, right, and can only cast a few times before they have used their spells? It might be a good idea to make a global addon change that remembers all spells for all magic users, but still requires non-sorceror magic users to memorise spells (but not regular skills of course) each time.

Would you be able to give me some help with this? I'm willing to start learning Lua, but I would need some guidance along the way. Also, I think it would be useful to have some addon options that weren't in the original game, to give some more variety to those who played the original TOME2 to death.

[Atarlost]

I liked those "spurious" down stairs. They mean you don't need to worry about recall if you can do a dungeon in one go, as is usually possible of the Downs.

[Steven Aus]

Can you please implement the Thunderlord's Return to Town skill next? I tried to get back to town by traversing up levels in the Barrowdowns, but I'm stuck at Level 3, got no food left and will go hungry soon, so I won't be able to change zones. If you want me to get some practice at some higher level content (like what I can get to after buying new equipment after my first run in the Barrowdowns), please implement Return to Town. I presume it is meant to port you to the last visited town?

[Crim, The Red Thunder]

The lua error popup in game goes to darkgod, not to zizzo, and he has no way to get it, sadly. Posting lua error logs (either in a pastebin, or an attachement, or pasting JUST the error in a 'code' box in the forum (full logs are MUCH too long to paste directly as text.) would work. Get the part from where it says 'lua error' on down to the end of 'stack traceback'.)

[Zizzo]

Btw: how are you going with the Shoot Arrow ability implementation?

Haven't actually gotten that far yet. I just got finished shuffling my Subversion repository around to temporarily "shelve" the map generator work I was doing so I can get all this stuff out without having to finish that first.

EDIT: Deathmold errors only happen when you hover over their skills, so it's to do with not having a description set up. I'd love it if you could implement the Deathmold race - it seems like a pretty cool race to play when implemented.

[sound F/X: source diving] Ah, that was a stupid error in the fetch-item talent's info() function; fixed in SVN. Also, turns out I was lying; DeathMolds' controlled teleport and fetch-item powers were already implemented, and I just implemented the change-level power in SVN. [Still needs work, though; I think the DeathMold powers are supposed to have a common "cooldown", and you're supposed to be able to use them before the cooldown is finished at the cost of mana or hit points. Maybe we need a special resource?] Random teleport isn't implemented yet, though, so DeathMolds will still be a while.

EDIT 2: The princess artifact does actually get correctly generated, but here is an error report that happens at around the same time:

[sound F/X: downloading] Ah, one of the stack-trace files from the error-reports/ subdirectory. An excellent source for that sort of information, and they're usually small enough that you can attach them directly to a comment or include them inline in the comment text. [sound F/X: source diving] …Huh. That's odd. Do you still have the savefile for this error? What dungeon and level does the quest log say that princess quest happened on?

I was thinking of offering help to add features to the TOME4 version of TOME2. […] Would you be able to give me some help with this? I'm willing to start learning Lua, but I would need some guidance along the way.

Sure. If you've programmed in other languages, Lua isn't too hard to pick up; Lua.org is a good source of information on the language, and the Development section of the TE4 Wiki has resources for writing addons.

If Sorcerors were to be able to remember spells, there would also need to be something that prevents them buying spellbooks etc., transcribing the spells and then selling them back.

Well, it would still cost you some money, because you wouldn't be able to sell the book back for as much as you spent on it unless you had really high CHA. In theory, I suppose you could have the memorization process "consume" the book.

I liked those "spurious" down stairs. They mean you don't need to worry about recall if you can do a dungeon in one go, as is usually possible of the Downs.

(scratches head) You… do realize you've got a one-in-four chance of getting a lost sword quest on the last level, yes? Those have never added down stairs.

Can you please implement the Thunderlord's Return to Town skill next? I tried to get back to town by traversing up levels in the Barrowdowns, but I'm stuck at Level 3, got no food left and will go hungry soon, so I won't be able to change zones. If you want me to get some practice at some higher level content (like what I can get to after buying new equipment after my first run in the Barrowdowns), please implement Return to Town. I presume it is meant to port you to the last visited town?

Gyeep! You should really be carrying a couple Scrolls of Word of Recall for that sort of thing. ([checks notes] *whew* Yes, those are implemented.) You can buy them in the Temple or the Alchemy Shop. But yes, Thunderlord powers are now implemented in SVN.