Where is the old abandoned fort at the Battle of Isla Mona

[The Nameless Pirate]

Here you are.

 

[Grey Roger]

Thanks! That does make the ruined warehouse work as a build item. I've renamed it "b_warehouse_destroyed.gm" so that it does not conflict with @Jack Rackham's "storehouse_destroyed", copied the texture file to where buildings expect their textures, and generally done what was needed to make it work as a buildable item. As of next update, it should be generally available for anyone to use with a "Build_at" command.

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

Awesome, happy to have helped.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

This is because building items are also characters.

Weapons attached to a character.
Always fun to draw your destroyed warehouse and whack your enemies over the head with it.

And as a finishing touch, Isla Mona in "Ardent" now has a different loading screen which shows the warehouse:

Pretty picture!

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

Weapons attached to a character.
Always fun to draw your destroyed warehouse and whack your enemies over the head with it.

Yep, my brother does this frequently.
Using the Thief's Knife to get the "building permits".

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Using the Thief's Knife to get the "building permits".

Is that actually POSSIBLE??
At some point, we did try to hide those in the 'loot' interface so that you can't do that.

 

[Grey Roger]

Yep, my brother does this frequently.
Using the Thief's Knife to get the "building permits".

That will work if the character is visible, e.g. "tower" uses "B_Soldier". On the other hand, some buildings use "B_invisible", which is a small lizard that really is invisible now that character models obey alpha masks. Good luck using a thief's knife on that.

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

Is that actually POSSIBLE??
At some point, we did try to hide those in the 'loot' interface so that you can't do that.

As @Grey Roger said yes, on some.
If I remember correctly he most often does it to the one in the Speightstown port.

That will work if the character is visible, e.g. "tower" uses "B_Soldier". On the other hand, some buildings use "B_invisible", which is a small lizard that really is invisible now that character models obey alpha masks. Good luck using a thief's knife on that.

I wonder if he has tried doing this, might challenge him.

Maybe we could make it so that all use "B_invinsible"?
When we want a person to be there for immersion purposes an NPC that doesn't have the "weapon" on them would also spawn.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

When we want a person to be there for immersion purposes an NPC that doesn't have the "weapon" on them would also spawn.

That'll mess up the jokey dialog reference for the stationary guy in Speightstown Port who is explaining "why he's standing so still".
Of course the REAL reason is that if he were to move like an ordinary character, the building attached to him would wave around as well.

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

Well we can still make the new NPCs to not move.
Unless I am mistaken and it is not possible.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Well we can still make the new NPCs to not move.
Unless I am mistaken and it is not possible.

No reason why it wouldn't be possible.
As long as you code hard enough.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Yep, my brother does this frequently.
Using the Thief's Knife to get the "building permits".

So here's an attempt of mine to spoil your brother's fun by hiding those items:

           if (GetAttribute(arItem, "name") == "itmname_building" && GetAttribute(arItem, "describe") == "itmdescr_building") continue; // PB: You're not supposed to loot these...

In two spots of the attached itemsbox.c .

Odd observations from testing:
- If I DON'T take those permits from the guy in Speightstown Port, he'll still run away and the building vanishes anyway
- In Speightstown Port, I'm not seeing the portraits of characters I'm facing in the upper-left corner of the screen

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

Thanks, going to try it out tomorrow.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

If I DON'T take those permits from the guy in Speightstown Port, he'll still run away and the building vanishes anyway

Reason was that this code UN-equips them:

       // Viper - Kindly ask that officer to unequip the stuff
       RemoveCharacterEquip(itemsRef, GUN_ITEM_TYPE);
       RemoveCharacterEquip(itemsRef, BLADE_ITEM_TYPE);

But this here fails to equip them back for building items:

    if(!g_bIBoxUsed)
   {
       if( CalcCharacterSkill(g_refItems, SKILL_FENCING) > 0 )
       {
           EquipCharacterByItem(g_refItems, FindCharacterItemByGroup(g_refItems,BLADE_ITEM_TYPE));
           EquipCharacterByItem(g_refItems, FindCharacterItemByGroup(g_refItems,GUN_ITEM_TYPE));

So I added ugly stuff above:

       // PB: BuildingSet Shenanigans -->
       weaponID = GetCharacterEquipByGroup(itemsRef,GUN_ITEM_TYPE); // (ab)using (seemingly?) unused JRH variable from above
       Items_FindItem(weaponID, &weapon);
       if (GetAttribute(weapon, "name") == "itmname_building" && GetAttribute(weapon, "describe") == "itmdescr_building")
       {
           itemsRef.equip_old.gun = weaponID;
       }
       weaponID = GetCharacterEquipByGroup(itemsRef,BLADE_ITEM_TYPE);
       Items_FindItem(weaponID, &weapon);
       if (GetAttribute(weapon, "name") == "itmname_building" && GetAttribute(weapon, "describe") == "itmdescr_building")
       {
           itemsRef.equip_old.blade = weaponID;
       }
       // PB: BuildingSet Shenanigans <--

And below:

    // PB: BuildingSet Shenanigans -->
   if (CheckAttribute(g_refItems, "equip_old"))
   {
       EquipCharacterByItem(g_refItems, g_refItems.equip_old.blade);
       EquipCharacterByItem(g_refItems, g_refItems.equip_old.gun);
       DeleteAttribute(g_refItems, "equip_old");
   }
   // PB: BuildingSet Shenanigans <--

In doing so, I ran into a question for @Jack Rackham:

   //JRH -->
   string weaponID = GetCharacterEquipByGroup(pch,GUN_ITEM_TYPE);   // PB: Is this
   aref weapon;                                                   // PB: not used
   Items_FindItem(weaponID, &weapon);                               // PB: somewhere???

   int s; //shots
   int ShCl = makeint(GetCharacterShipClass(pch));
    //JRH <--

Attached was the end result.
Now I cannot see the building items anymore.
And they don't remain un-equipped either.
So I can't steal them and they stay visible.

Also... I now GET ATTACKED BY THEM instead.
By a walking shack, wielding a very threatening-looking cannon.

Is this an improvement?
Difficult to say, really...
It's sure messy code though! That's for sure.

I also tested just generally assaulting that shack:
An instant explosion hits me as soon as I touch it with my sword; and I immediately DIE!
Even though I have Godmode enabled.
Then I resurrect in the tavern, head out back to port and IMMEDIATELY explode with reload back to tavern AGAIN.
WOW! These are some vengeful buildings indeed!!!

 

[Pieter Boelen]

That's quite the creative dialog @CouchcaptainCharles wrote for that nutty shack in port!
Of course it never quite worked. People complained aplenty anyway.

A certain part also reads in a COMPLETELY new light these days!
(Technically 4 years or so...)
But better I don't reference that here. Just have a look for yourself if you're curious.

Spoiler

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

Is this an improvement?
Difficult to say, really...

It certainly is an improvement to the player being able to get a literal cannon.

Now whether or not than them just unequiping the building?
It depends on how much you want the player to be punished for trying to cheat.

Loose a building, or die.

 

[Jack Rackham]

In doing so, I ran into a question for @Jack Rackham:

Looks like a remnant of something. I can't see weaponID or weapon used in the file.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

It certainly is an improvement to the player being able to get a literal cannon.

Now whether or not than them just unequiping the building?
It depends on how much you want the player to be punished for trying to cheat.

Loose a building, or die.

Maybe you and your brother can decide how much of my "fix" to take.

Perhaps indeed building disappearing and character running off is better than being whacked over the head by a whole structure.

Looks like a remnant of something. I can't see weaponID or weapon used in the file.

Thanks for confirming!

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

Perhaps indeed building disappearing and character running off is better than being whacked over the head by a whole structure.

It is kinda fun though.
You expect for them to start running, and suddenly you explode.

Though we must have the opinion of someone who actually does this, so I will ask my brother about it.
And if anyone else does this, feel free to share your opinion.

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

Okay so I have discussed this with my brother.

Out of these two he prefers the person attacking you with the building.
Because it is a funnier punishment than just loosing a building.