I continue to chip away at the second module, Predestinated Days, of The Scroll campaign. This time around I have been sorting the World Map and all the links that will be available from it. The last time I looked at any of this code was probably around 2009, when I pieced together the code that would allow the player to examine maps in module one (but without travel), and in preparation for this latest module I am currently working on. In the last couple of weeks, those maps (and associated code) have been dusted off and looked at once again. Read on for the latest news ...
The World Map
This section of my campaign goes back many years, and I have a video of when I first started working with them as long ago as 2007. If you want to look at some of my first ever playing around with them, you can check out this video where I was pleased to have managed to code "map within map" change overs! (If you have played the first module, you may have seen this already.) Predestinated Days, however, will be the first module of my campaign series that will make use of them proper. I have "improved" the process since that time: the main difference being I now use the later (expansion 2) style map for normal travel and keep this original style world map for Nexus Travel.
Like most of my earlier code, I had to rewrite some of it, as it did not work as well as I required for module two. I have become more familiar with the functions since those early days, and had some newer requirements too. One observation I would like to point out for all would-be map builders, is to make sure you change the default 0 x 0 icon size, which (obviously) will not appear on your map when called via code, even after placement, as it is simply too small. I now use 16 x 16 for icon size. In my latest return to World Map usage I did not immediately notice this and so thought there was something wrong elsewhere. Once I had spotted the difference in this aspect, by comparing icons properties I had placed this time around from those years ago, things were sorted.
The Overland Map
As many NWN2 players/builders will know, the way the "world map" is presented has changed with each expansion. In the original campaign, it was a basic map interface (like the one shown in the video link above); in the first expansion, the world map interface came along with additional info, along the lines of my edited version in the image below. By the time we had the second expansion, we were now presented with an "overland map" style, where the party was represented by the leader who the player controlled over the "map" itself.
In Predestinated Days, I am aiming to implement all three systems in one way or another. To this end, an overland map has already been built and is in the process of being tested, which denotes the first areas of world that the PCs adventure in. In The Scroll, the idea is that the overland map acts as a "zoomed in" section of the actual world map, which becomes more effective later, as the PCs get to know the world better. However, to allow diversity of play, I have also allowed players to start using the static "World Map" as an option from quite early on too if they prefer to avoid the overland map style.
I had to spend some time going over the format I had setup with respect to how the map pins associated with their WP counterparts, but eventually worked out a solution that now supports the various world map policies in place. Whether the player chooses to explore the overland map or simply click on a world destination via a static map, all transitions now work as they should.
Food Rations
One of those side issues that came to light when working with world maps was the use of food rations. There was nothing fundamentally wrong, as the food count went down as expected, and apart from fixing a small "hunger" bug, the food count worked as expected. The problem was more to do with purchasing them for travel. At is currently worked, food rations could only be bought one ration at a time, which is fine if you are staying within the local vicinity. However, as travelling now involved much farther regions, I had to up the ration count that could be purchased to ten at a time to prevent the player having to spend minutes purchasing sufficient rations for an entire party. As a side benefit, it offers a discount for bulk buying. Remember, however, if a party has a cleric who can pray for Create Food, then no ration purchases are required.
Other Updates
My wife and I continue to play test module one, testing the latest changes and looking out for any new issues that may arise because of them. A few minor issues were found and addressed:-
i) Sleep animations were re-timed to ensure the player does not see the NPC fall to sleep.
ii) Crafting was fixed to ensure correct gold bags remained and essences used.
iii) An EffectListOverFlow was fixed related to the encumbrance icon on PCs.
iv) An ActionListOverFlow was fixed on relocated NPCs who used walkwaypoints.
As previous, once my wife has finished her latest play testing, v1.41E will be uploaded, which addresses any issues that were present in earlier versions. NB: Not all reported issues may be present due to changes made since last release.
NOTE: The following images have changed since being taken and have spoilers removed.
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| Viewing World Map In The Toolset | |
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| Viewing World Map In The Game |
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| A New Place - A New Role! |
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