A doubt or three... - TTLG Forums

Ubik on 19/5/2002 at 14:44

Greetings!

Living in Portugal, I still don't have Morrowind. But the number of reviews and posts I already read told me how great this game is. Nevertheless there are some questions I would like to post, hoping for a kind soul to answer them... :)

1 - Do the game has random quests given by the factions?

2 - Can I program random quests to be given by the factions to the player in the Editor?

3 - After reading the reviews and posts, I think the game is a bit on the easy side. I already know we can very easily alter the level progression in the editor. But can we, for instance, subtract points of skills or attributes if the PC is poisoned or diseased?

4 - Can the relations between factions dynamically change during the game? Can we do it in the editor, thus creating randomly controlled true faction wars?

5 - In a newly created faction, can we initialize the relations between this new faction and the other ones the way we see fit?

Thanks for your answers!

kathode on 19/5/2002 at 18:00

1 - no random quests
2 - if you're a really good programmer probably. There is a random function.
3 - no earthly clue what you mean, but diseases do affect attribute scores.
4 - uh, maybe. Again, no idea what you mean.
5 - yah

Danmarr on 19/5/2002 at 18:09

4.
I don't believe so. The faction standings throughout the game seem pretty static in contrast to one another. But later in the quest some might come together under a cause. But I haven't seen anything in the game to make you think the thieves guild and comanna tong will ever not hate each other. I hope this adresses what you were asking.

Tuco on 19/5/2002 at 19:08

There's is little or no randomization of the quests in MW, most people will encounter the same quests.

You could program 'more' quests, but 'random' quests would require even more in a 'pot' to random from, or if you had a quest creation, IE: "Go to NPC 1 - 6, in zone 1 - 6, and get item 1 - 6", it would require putting more content in...

as for faction adjustments... faction shmaction

Ubik on 20/5/2002 at 00:19

Thanks kathode, Danmarr and Tuco!

I will try to clarify what I was asking...

What I mean in my 3rd question is if I can write a script to permanently lower skills or attributes after the PC gets poisoned or diseased...
After reading posts and reviews, one of the BIG complaints about the game (unverifiable by me because I don't have it) is the easy way you can gain attribute points and skill points. One cool way to keep this game behaviour in check (my point of view, of course!) is to make the skills and attributes permanently go down too, if the PC is poisoned or diseased, for instance. I already know we can easily alter the skill and level gain in the game, but I would also like to implement the above mentioned poison and disease "side effects".

In the 4th question, I was just asking if I can write a script to randomly change the relations between, for instance, the fighter's guild and the mages guild. I think that would be nice because if the relations between the factions keep constant, you always know who to join and who to avoid... now, if from time to time, the relations change, you must think more deeply if it is in your best interests to join many factions at all...

About the randomness of quests, I was just asking if it is possible to code quests for a guild given by a predetermined group of guild members that check a "table of quests" each time the PC talks to them without a quest pending. I feel the beauty of this game lies not in following the scripted missions (with a deterministic flavour that honestly I try to avoid...I can tell you I am not interested in the main quest at all, for instance), but in enabling the game coming to life and really never ending because you never know what will the "Blue Robed guy from the Mages Guild" ask you the next time.
I was an avid player of Daggerfall, and in spite of playing the game for 4 years, I NEVER started the scripted main quest. The other mini quests, very simple in nature, given to me by the diferent factions were enough for me to be completely amazed by that game. Now imagine I may have a tool that enables me to make those simple mini quests as complex as my imagination allows... :cheeky:

About my programing skills, I am pretty confident in them (11 years)... but this lead me to another question that is to ask where can I find a tutorial containing the syntax of the scripted language as well as all the reserved words and functions.

Ubik on 20/5/2002 at 15:21

Bump!

Ubik on 21/5/2002 at 12:07

Bump!!

BattleMage on 22/5/2002 at 10:29

3 - Yes you can. I am working on a script to lower skills and attributes over time, so you have to keep practising to "stay in shape" :)
To trigger this by poison and disease is a good idea, but it would be hard to balance, because some characters would contact diseases much more often then others. I'm a bit of a balance freak, maybe this wouldn't be a problem to you.
Currently I am just trying to make the player lose skills, levels and attributes over time.

4 - Yes.. you could, technically. But one important thing to understand about Morrowind modding is that the world is static, and scripts only change details.
All rogues for example will tell you they hate the Camorra Tong. But not because their faction relation with them is bad, but because they are programmed to say that about them. That example was global and easy to adjust for the script, but there are also a lot of NPC's with personal texts with references to the faction "standings".
So if you script the faction standing to change dynamically, you will find lots of NPC's who talk about how their guild hates or is allied with some other guild regardless of the real situation.
It's an excellent idea nonetheless. I think I could live with weird dialogs. Currently I am top ranked Temple and Mage member, respected member of the Fighters and Rogues guild and the different Imperial Cult factions as well as the Legion and now quickly rising in ranks in the Morag Tong. I'd love to be kicked out of at least half of them because they don't get along. :)

Randomizing is very limited, for example because many functions won't take variables as parameters :mad: But you could program at least some simple randomized quests. The scriping language is definately not made for this though. Random quests would probably go like Tuco says.
"you never know what will the "Blue Robed guy from the Mages Guild" ask you the next time"
I'm glad you wrote that. I thought I was the only one who likes these kind of random quests. :) Usually you see a lot of bickering about them.

I haven't seen any scripting tutorials, but the language is pretty simple. I just read a lot of the existing scripts and it became obvious.

BattleMage on 22/5/2002 at 10:50

Ohh I have been hurting my head thinking about where I saw the word/name "ubik" before :p Now I remember: it's a Shattered Galaxy critter. Is that where you got it from or does it mean something else as well? Just wondering. :)

Ubik on 22/5/2002 at 14:34

Ubik?

Well, Ubik is the title of a fantastic book by Phillip K. Dick (the same guy who wrote "Blade Runner"). I read the book with 14 y.o. and sixteen years later I still find it one of the most impressive books I read.

On another matter, and as we seem to share the same tastes in the concept of CRPG, what do you think about joining strenghts? :D
Currently I still don't have the game, but it is scheduled to arrive in the next week.

To start understanding the script language, can you please send me some code snipets to the following address?

[email]ubik_@netcabo.pt[/email]

I congratulate you on your idea to make the skills, stats and levels go down without being used. It's a nice idea that when used with care it has the potential to increase the lasting appeal of the game. That's definitely something I want to implement (if you are not making me paying royalties, of course!).

About poisoning and disease, can you elaborate on what type of characters are more afected than others? Or are you talking about some kind of special advantage where some races or PC with a set birthsign is immune to poison/disease?

About random quests, I was thinking along the line of making x number of quests to an NPC and when the PC aproaches this NPC and when choosing a predetermined hypertext the script would select a random quest (or nothing available at the moment) from the list of x quests. I have some nice ideas (I think) to implement in quests that would like to further discuss with you.

About the way we can implement dynamic changes in the diferent factions, will it be possible to delete (or change) the general text those NPC give when refering to certain guilds?

Thank you for your answer!

Regards,

Carlos Gustavo