Questions for 12/23/97-1/5/98
1. In the manual for the Scenario Editor you mention that you can open
scenarios in debug mode. I was wondering how you do this.
The game must be registered. You can then play your scenario in debug mode
in the game by loading a save file in the scenario editor, pressing 'D'
(capital D) and entering your password. In debug mode, the monsters become
much easier to fight, so you can play through faster.
2. Would it ever be possible to allow new PC races? Vahnatai, troglos,
goblins, or any of the other humanoid races?
Nope. Doing this requires modifying the code itself, and isn't something I
can figure out how to do properly.
3. Were scenarios intended to be released as shareware in and of themselves?
Read the license agreement. You can't charge for scenarios. People can ask
for donations, but they can't put in shareware barriers or such. I'll put a
clarification for this on the web site.
4. Also, is it kosher to create scenarios that are completely unrelated to
the Exile world? My first question was also asked with this in mind.
Go for it! There are practically no restrictions placed on scenario content
itself. I only ask that people not set scenarios in heavily trademarked
worlds (like Star Wars).
5. When I choose the monster "Alien Beast" from the M3 menu and click
anywhere it displays a big chunk of one of the monster PICT's instead of
just the chunk that it is.
Easy to fix. Load Alien Beast in the monster editor and immediately hit OK.
Alien Beast will be corrected.
6. The first problem is with a "stuff done" flag (0, 0) which is used to
count the number of times a certain event occurrs. I had noticed that, when
testing, the first time it was 1, the second time it 2, and the third time
it was 2! After setting a timer to print out the value each step, i can now
say that the behavoiur is at least predictable.
Perhaps some node is being triggered which is affecting the same stuff done
node, or perhaps this event is somehow happening again and again. One
workaround is to use a flag besides (0,0). That way, if another node is
affecting (0,0), the new node won't be affected.
7. What's with the "Not Enough time has passes since combat to rest"
message? I get this message almost every time I use a "rest" special. I
have tried putting an advance time of 300 before each rest but that doesn't
help. Is there a work around.
This is probably a bug. I'll fix this. For now, don't use rest nodes in an
area where the party is likely to get into a fight.
8. How does saving and restoring interrelate with editing the scenario? I
can see problems comming if I need to play through the entire scenario just
to get to the point I need to test.
Read the chapter in the docs on testing and releasing your scenario. You
can continue to use save files in the scenario after editing the scenario.
Just always restore the save file after saving a change, and hit ">" to
reset a changed level before editing it (while on a different level).
9. Can scenario special items be used during combat? (I suppose I could
just try that one).
No.
10. Why is the starting town forced to be medium - espically given that it
can be changed to another town after beginning?
It just is.
11. I can see I'm going to have trouble with the limits. My first town has
~105 special nodes ~80 squares with specials and 25 personalities. That is
after much scrimping, and leaving in a few bugs. At least some of the
limits have workarounds. (special terain, multiple identical towns etc.)
but I am getting worried about the event horizon. I cannot keep using
scenario specials to take up the slack.
Spread the encounters more. Instead of using on 64x64 level, use 2 48x48
levels, and spread the encounters among them.
12. Is there a better way to spy on stuff dones that a sequence of if-thens
with small messages?
Unfortunately, not yet. I'm looking into doing something about this.
13. How do you make a road? The only icons are the ones for a dot of road
but they don't connect when you place them next to each other.
Go ahead and draw them in the editor. They will be joined in the game.
14. How can I use specials to make a special item that returns the wearer
to a certain town when used? (Like the Amulet of Returning from Exile III)
The outdoor move specials don't seem to work from between sections (am I
right?).
Yes. But. You can only make it usable when in town mode. Have a special
encounter called when the special items is used, with these nodes ...
Town Block -> Text Message Saying Party is Moved -> Move Party Outdoors
(move party to outdoor location of town they're moved to) -> Stairway
(setting stairway type to 8 makes party be moved automatically without a
dialog coming up)
Read the descriptions of the relevant nodes in the Appendix on Special Node
Types for more info.
15. This is a question I've had that I can't figure out. It has to do with
the type of terrain in the Blades of exile scenario editor that monsters
can't walk over. (The tiles marked with a little B).
Go into the terrain editing widnow for the terrain in question. Blocked To
Monsters is one of the terrain abilities available.
16. I'm having a problem with the "place outdoor encounter." I set
everything right and read the documentation to be sure and everything's
set, but when I actually playmy scenario and I enter the encounter, I gett
a small message saying "monsters flee" and nothing happens. How can I get
it so the monsters don't flee and you have to fight them?
Edit Special Outdoor Encounters. There is a button to the upper right
marked "Monsters can't flee party". Press that when editing your special
encounter.
17. My full version of Blades hasn't arrived yet, but the scenario editor
docs that come with the demo don't give any information on how a monster's
experience point value is generated.
It depends on the monster's level. The higher the level, the more experience. 