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    Maelstrom New Horizons


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Kudos to the Modders and a Question

Doober

Buccaneer
Storm Modder
<img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hi.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":gday" border="0" alt="hi.gif" />
I took the advice of Pieter and downloaded the Build and his mod. All I can say is, unbelievable!!! The game became 100x better! Great job to everyone who has put all that work in.

I do have one question though. There seems to be an overabundance of weapons even very good ones, and I have only just started the game. Is there any way to make it so I have to work for them? I've read a little about turning off a weapons mod somewhere, could someone explain to me how to do that? I really like all the extra swords available and especially the new guns, but I would like to have to work a little harder to get them instead of being able to buy them all at the very beginning. Is this possible? Thanks once again!
 
It's not the weapon's mod that makes the weapons available so early in the game. The weapon's mod is that mod that makes "Badly worn"/"Average"/"Fine"/etc. weapons. The itemtrading mod, on the other hand, will make the amount and quality of items traders have for sale dependent on the itemtrader's level. Since none of these levels are pre-set (yet) except for Gregor Samsa (Oxbay port) who is set to level 10, traders can be randomly generated to very high levels, even in the beginning of the game. If you want the traders to be lower level at the beginning of the game, you can set them to lower itemtrade levels. If you want to do this, I will figure out how to and tell you. It's not real difficult at all; I just can't remember exactly right now.
If you want to do this, please also share that work with us. It is not such a difficult job, but it does need to be done.

Doing this will not make sure that you won't get higher level weapons in the beginning of the game. You can still (accidentally) happen to find them some places. But you would at least not have them for sale at traders anymore. Until you do a lot of trading with them and they increase in level because of the amount of trading you do.

Hope this helps. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/me.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":onya" border="0" alt="me.gif" />

BTW: You can turn mods on/off or tweak mods in the file PROGRAM\BuildSettings.h. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/yes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":yes" border="0" alt="yes.gif" />
 
If you let me know how to do it, I would gladly work on it! Its the least I could do after using the great mods done so far. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

Also, if you could let me know how to edit the random spawn locations so they don't give the uber-weapons at the beginning, I could work on that too.
 
<!--QuoteBegin-Doober+Sep 7 2005, 08:08 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Doober @ Sep 7 2005, 08:08 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Also, if you could let me know how to edit the random spawn locations so they don't give the uber-weapons at the beginning, I could work on that too.
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Nathan Kell made a fix for that one some time ago. But it didn't properly work yet, so the fix is temporarily dropped. If you don't have much programming experience yet, I would recommend to not try to change that. I don't know how it should be done, but I bet it's complicated. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/piratesing.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":shock" border="0" alt="piratesing.gif" />

To set itemtrader qualities, you should search for the itemtrader in the character init files (PROGRAM\Characters\init\[locationname].c . You should then add some lines like this:
<!--c1--><div class='codetop'>CODE</div><div class='codemain'><!--ec1-->NPChar.itemtrade.quality = 10; (Should be a reasonably low number. Say 2-4. Dependent on whether the trader looks richer/is said to be richer, you can give him a higher quality)
NPChar.itemtrade.tradetype = IT_TYPE_STORE; (Should be the itemtrader type. "IT_TYPE_STORE" is for store traders, "IT_TYPE_STALL" are street merchants)<!--c2--></div><!--ec2-->
This is quite a short explanation, I admit, so if you need a more thorough explanation, just ask and I'll see if I can make it clearer.

BTW: Best to start with one of the Oxbay streetmerchants (in the port) to see if you can get this to work. If it doesn't, give us a call. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/huhh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":eek:k" border="0" alt="huhh.gif" />
 
Sure thing, I'll get to work on that. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> When you put the merchants on a certain level, will they change eventually or always stay at the same level? As far as the random locations, what changed from the stock to make the expensive weapons appear? In the stock they only generated gold and lower grade stuff.
 
If you trade enough with a certain merchant, his level should increase. I personally never saw it happen, but that's how the mod's supposed to work. It's rather a new mod and I never played long enough for the traders to increase in quality.

In the Build, there is a completely random item on at the random location, so it can randomly be very good or very bad. In the stock game, I think there was only the choice between a few small and unimportant weapons, most of the times. Unless the item was pre-set, so that, for example, there would always be a two-shot pistol.
 
Do you know which file I need to edit to get it back to getting just the less important random drops like the stock game is?

I guess another question would be, why in the itemsinit file are there rare numbers which are presumably to calculate rarity to find the item and I seem to consistantly pick them up as soon as I start the game right next to the tree by the tavern?

Just for my own personal gaming, I'd like to switch it back.
 
I don't know how you should turn it back. Sorry. <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" />

The rarity setting is, for all I know, what is used for merchants. So a rare item won't show up at merchants too often. I don't think the rarity is used for random items (yet), even though I also reckon it should be. Actually: I'm not entirely sure the rarity is still used at all. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/unsure.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":?" border="0" alt="unsure.gif" />

Anyway: There's nothing I know that you could change. If somebody else has an idea: Feel free to say so. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/piratesing.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":shock" border="0" alt="piratesing.gif" />
 
Oh well, it was worth a shot, thanks for all the help! I'm working on the merchants so we'll see if I can get those worked out. The last game I did modding on was C&C: Red Alert, so I'm a bit rusty on it. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/bookish.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":mm" border="0" alt="bookish.gif" />
 
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->NPChar.itemtrade.quality = 10;
NPChar.itemtrade.tradetype = IT_TYPE_STORE;<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I put these in just like this under one street merchant and the game would no longer work. Do you know what I might be doing wrong?

I noticed that Gregor Samsa can sell all sorts of high end stuff, if someone could let me know what field makes him sell stuff that good, I suppose I could use field to lower the street merchants.
 
Howdy.
Great to see you take this on! <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" />

NPChar is the npc variable used in dialog files; ch is the variable used in char init files. THat's probably the cause.
If you look in internalsettings.h you'll find the list of possible item trader types.
Also, these types can be used for items--we need someone to go through the items file and give the items types as well (i.e. jewelry, Indian, potion, etc). Just a thought. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

Before my trip, I was rewriting random item code along those lines; right now, random items are found relatively poorly, in that we first pick any item, then test its rarity, rather than using rarity to find which item to pick.
 
Yup, that did the trick, Nathan. I'm working on the merchants now. Just to be clear on the items part, the items need to be sorted according to merchant? What would the code look like as an example?

I'm guessing it would be something like: <!--c1--><div class='codetop'>CODE</div><div class='codemain'><!--ec1-->itm.itemtrade.tradetype = IT_TYPE_STORE;<!--c2--></div><!--ec2-->

Is this correct or are we looking for something more specific, like being able to sell to a specific store merchant but not all of them?
 
I would like to add that Gregor Samsa is set to quality 10 by default (this is done in the PROGRAM\DIALOGS\Gregor Samsa_dialog.c file). Just an idea, but maybe he should only be quality 10 if the debug mode is turned on? <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/unsure.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":?" border="0" alt="unsure.gif" />
 
I think old Gregor does fine as quality10, and it's not like he is the only one, I've found others.

Also, he doesn't have "all" merchandize like he does in Debug, so it's not really a cheat to have an old crusty quality 10 merchant wandering around the port of Oxbay.

In the beginning of the game, one can't even afford the things he sells anyway!
 
Yes, I wasn't going to change him, he is very useful for those who have to restart the game due to the mod. I was trying to figure out how he works because if I knew how he worked, I would know how the rest of the merchants work. Nathan cleared it up for me.

I did have a funny incident the other day though, after starting a new game, I sailed out of oxbay, got involved in a fight between the dutch and a pirate, I fired one shot at the pirate who had a level 3 ship. He surrendered to me and gave me a ton of gold and goods, I went back, sold it all and bought a ton of stuff off Gregor. It seemed a bit too easy for me.
 
<!--QuoteBegin-Doober+Sep 9 2005, 08:19 AM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Doober @ Sep 9 2005, 08:19 AM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Yup, that did the trick, Nathan. I'm working on the merchants now. Just to be clear on the items part, the items need to be sorted according to merchant? What would the code look like as an example?

I'm guessing it would be something like: <!--c1--><div class='codetop'>CODE</div><div class='codemain'><!--ec1-->itm.itemtrade.tradetype = IT_TYPE_STORE;<!--c2--></div><!--ec2-->

Is this correct or are we looking for something more specific, like being able to sell to a specific store merchant but not all of them?
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[topic=4921]Item Trading Overhaul[/topic] (Some stuff won't be current, though... :] ) But see attached, below.

You can be as specific as you like, actually. See internalsettings.h all IT_TYPE_ defines for types (or add your own there).
Unless turned off, item traders will be automatically assigned:
+a type for their town
+a type for their island
+a type for their nation
at slightly increased QTY and Price (those mults are also handled via internalsettings).
That means that for example we can allow only certain islands to have certain items, and to do that only have to edit the items' types, not the traders'.

They (traders) will also, unless turned off, get type 'general' assigned, which takes care of non-typed items (well, actually, all items that do not have themselves removed from the 'general' group).

IT setup ( IT_AssignTypesToTrader() ) in items_utilite.c, run the first time a trader is accessed, will autoset all properties that are not already set.
For an example of how trader-side types work, check the Blacksmith case in that function--that sets the three base settings (qty, price, size), eight types manually, the three auto types, as well as general at reduced qty.
{ Replacing itmt with chr.itemtrade.types and tmpstr with t0 through tN for ch inits where you don't have those variables. }
You will also need to add ch.itemtrade.types.tqty = (the last t number + 1), i.e. if you assign t0 through t5, tqty is 6.

Ah! Found my docs at last. So now I really _do_ have something up-to-date after all. Attached.
 
Ok. We'll be keeping Gregor at level 10 then. Whoever would think he'd be a good trader anyway? Anyone starting to play the game will just think he's a silly old man. <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" />
 
Aye, a silly old man with a great "Vintage" look about him. <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" />

Kinda reminds me of ... me ... avatar! <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="xD:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />
 
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