Improving Officers

cwineman · Sep 9, 2004

ARRRGH,

I've noticed in my games that with some officers I can't improve them in some categories. For example, with Edgar Atwood, who you can pick up in the Redmond prison, I can get him to level 10 in all cannon categories(plus a few others), but there are many where he can't improve at all.

I've noticed the same with other guys. Rys Bloom and Artois Voysey have similar limitations. Is there any way to make those guys better? Does it happen with all officers, or just the "special ones". "Special Ones" meaning guys you pick up through gameplay, not in the taverns.

-cwineman

NathanKell · Sep 9, 2004

You can change this behavior.
Open programinterfacecharacter.c
Find line if(nLeadership==0) {return;} and comment it out, i.e. prefix it by //, so it looks like //if(nLeadership==0) {return;}
and do the same for each following if(nSKILLNAME==0) line.

cwineman · Sep 11, 2004

NK,

Before I make that change, I want to confirm what that does.

I am assuming that the change will make it so that some limit on those characters (attwood, bloom) will be removed. Then they will start from their current leadership level, of 0 right now, and start to move up.

Does this also affect the other abilities that I can't improve on also (For example, I don't think Bloom can improve in Luck either)? And do you have any idea why they built that limit onto certain characters to begin with? I was hoping that once I reached a certain level with these guys, that their leadership ability would open up, but so far it hasn't happened.

-cwineman

CatalinaThePirate · Sep 11, 2004

I think some of these characters were never meant to be leaders, which is why they don't have leadership capabilities at all and you can't add to them. Look at Clement Aurentis, for instance, he has NO skills except REPAIR (maybe that's in case he blows up your ship? LOL!). It is typically that way of `quest-hired` officers, they don't have some skills to develop.

cwineman · Sep 11, 2004

CtheP,

I don't even know if I've run into Clement Aurentis yet. I've started several games, but still have yet to complete a game. Hope I didn't miss a good quest.

I can see how some characters aren't "meant" to be leaders, but why cripple their ability to advance? Why should they advance any slower than the shmucks you find in taverns.

For example, in every game I have started, I find Rys Bloom at Redmond and take him as an officer. I can turn him into a pretty tough guy, but I end up hitting a dead end in his advancement. Doesn't make sense that an officer learning from a badass pirate like me, would suddenly not be able to learn any more abilities.

I guess maybe I play different than other people. I try to keep my officers alive. I like to build them up and see how long they last. If they die fine, but its cool to see how long you can keep your favorite officers alive.

Of course, some people use officers as fodder. A long time ago, I remember a guy who had a funny post about wanting to stuff officers into the cannons and use them as kippels.

-cwineman

CatalinaThePirate · Sep 11, 2004

Hahah, Clement is the old man in the main quest. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

" border="0" alt="icon_wink.gif" />

I agree about why cripple their ability to advance. I try to keep my officers alive, too. I give them potions so they STAY alive, give them better weapons and items to boost their stats, and keep them out of bad fights until their stats have built up... If it's somebody like Fred Bob, if he dies, heck, I reset and make sure he survives!!!

After you've made enough money (whatever that means, LOL!), officers *can* become cannon fodder because they are so cheap, but I still don't like to play that way.

NathanKell · Sep 11, 2004

The above changes remove the can'`t-increase`-`if-zero` cap for _all_ skills for _all_ characters, if you
"and do the same for each following if(nSKILLNAME==0) line."

Why they built it in--I guess to force some officers to stay specialized as otherwise once the char reaches level 45, he/she'll have 10s everywhere.

cwineman · Sep 19, 2004

NK,

I've tried the changes that you suggested in the character.c file, but it doesn't seem to change anything in the game.

Attwood has 8 available points, but no skills where I can use the points. Other than the character.c file, is there some other change I need to make?

Do these changes only apply if I start a new game, perhaps?

-cwineman

NathanKell · Sep 19, 2004

Weird. Should happen right then. I'll do a bit more testing.

NathanKell · Sep 20, 2004

<img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/oops3.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" :eek:

ops2" border="0" alt="oops3.gif" />
Sorry about that.
I thought I had it last time, but I missed a section.
OK. Further down in the file you'll find a big switch() statement with 10 cases, with if(nLeadership>0 && blah) through sneak.

Change
<div class='codetop'>CODE</div><div class='codemain'>switch(newIndex)

{

case 1: if(nLeadership>0 && nLeadership<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL){bSetBtn=true;}    break;

case 2: if(nFencing>0 && nFencing<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL) {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

case 3: if(nSailing>0 && nSailing<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL) {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

case 4: if(nAccuracy>0 && nAccuracy<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL)    {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

case 5: if(nCannons>0 && nCannons<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL) {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

case 6: if(nGrappling>0 && nGrappling<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL)    {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

case 7: if(nRepair>0 && nRepair<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL) {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

case 8: if(nDefence>0 && nDefence<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL) {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

case 9: if(nCommerce>0 && nCommerce<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL)    {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

case 10:    if(nSneak>0 && nSneak<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL)      {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

}</div>

to
<div class='codetop'>CODE</div><div class='codemain'>// NK `04-09`-08 added choice for whether to disable skillup if skill == 0 -->

//(added this `04-09`-19. Sorry I missed it before

if(ENABLE_SKILLUP_IFZERO)

{

     switch(newIndex)

     {

     case 1: if(nLeadership<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL){bSetBtn=true;}    break;

     case 2: if(nFencing<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL) {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

     case 3: if(nSailing<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL) {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

     case 4: if(nAccuracy<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL)    {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

     case 5: if(nCannons<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL) {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

     case 6: if(nGrappling<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL)    {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

     case 7: if(nRepair<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL) {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

     case 8: if(nDefence<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL) {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

     case 9: if(nCommerce<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL)    {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

     case 10:    if(nSneak<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL)      {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

     }

}else {

switch(newIndex)

     {

     case 1: if(nLeadership>0 && nLeadership<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL){bSetBtn=true;}    break;

     case 2: if(nFencing>0 && nFencing<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL) {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

     case 3: if(nSailing>0 && nSailing<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL) {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

     case 4: if(nAccuracy>0 && nAccuracy<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL)    {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

     case 5: if(nCannons>0 && nCannons<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL) {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

     case 6: if(nGrappling>0 && nGrappling<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL)    {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

     case 7: if(nRepair>0 && nRepair<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL) {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

     case 8: if(nDefence>0 && nDefence<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL) {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

     case 9: if(nCommerce>0 && nCommerce<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL)    {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

     case 10:    if(nSneak>0 && nSneak<MAX_CHARACTER_SKILL)      {bSetBtn=true;}    break;

     }

}

// NK <--</div>

cwineman · Sep 24, 2004

NK,

Good deal, I finally figured got it working. Now I can beef up officers like Attwood and Bloom. Cool.

Thanks,
-cwineman

NERD INFO ALERT!!!

NK, I think you also need to add a "#define ENABLE_SKILLUP_IFZERO 1" somewhere in the file. Or you have to do something similar or the fix doesn't work. Check out the line:
if(ENABLE_SKILLUP_IFZERO)
I realize that you had that value defined in your files somewhere, but your post omits that, and someone less nerdy would have problems with their game. Without it, the character screen wont even come up. I'm not sure how to make that clear to novices. You're smart, maybe you know know how to make it clear.

Anyway, thanks again.

/NERD INFO ALERT!!!

NathanKell · Sep 24, 2004

Oh, whoops, yeah. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/oops3.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" :eek:

ops2" border="0" alt="oops3.gif" />
Add that to BuildSettings.h somewhere, along with its brethren the other mod setting #defines.

Sorry! And thanks for the catch! <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/par-ty.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" :cheers

" border="0" alt="par-ty.gif" />

The reasoning on that was I went ahead and added that toggle and the mod to the CVS. So congrats, you're now immortalized in the version history. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />

CatalinaThePirate · Sep 24, 2004

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(NathanKell)</div><div class='quotemain'>I went ahead and added that toggle and the mod to the CVS. So congrats, you're now immortalized in the version history.

:[/quote] <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" /> Congratulations! Great work!!! <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/onya.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" :onya

" border="0" alt="onya.gif" />

DukeManbert · Sep 25, 2004

Hey considering the editing of officers. Is there a way....

No WHAT is the way <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

" border="0" alt="icon_wink.gif" /> to edit the random officers appearing in
the taverns ? Their a bit out of balance for my taste. I don't want to
command people that could outperfom me in every aspect of my
job, gives me a feeling Mr Bush jr. must have had for the last four years.

Laterz !

El_Sith · Sep 25, 2004

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DukeManbert)</div><div class='quotemain'>Their a bit out of balance for my taste. I don't want to
command people that could outperfom me in every aspect of my
job, gives me a feeling Mr Bush jr. must have had for the last four years.
[/quote]

I guess you're right, either they are useless or completely overpowered,but it's still an improvement to Build 10.1 , where I once got an officer with 10 in every stat and 20 points leftjava script:emoticon('<img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_eek.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" :shock

:" border="0" alt="icon_eek.gif" />')

CatalinaThePirate · Sep 28, 2004

Presumably the `randomly-generated` officers in the taverns are designed to have a level that matches yours - but whereas you might have weighted yourself with melee and sailing skills, your officers might come weighted with commerce or defense or other skills to round out your crew.

NathanKell · Oct 2, 2004

Plus their level is scaled based on the difficulty level. So if you play on apprentice, they're `higher-level` than you (and the reverse if swash).

Improving Officers

cwineman

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NathanKell

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CatalinaThePirate

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CatalinaThePirate

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cwineman

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NathanKell

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NathanKell

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CatalinaThePirate

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DukeManbert

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El_Sith

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...