The Building Kit mod enables you to build houses, fortifications and other architecture elements during the running game, i.e. as gameplayfeature. Those buildings can be erected anywhere you like them, and they can perform some gameplay function. Here is a simple example:
The screenshot shows the formerly empty Octopus Bay where Nathanial Hawk has recently built the new settlement "Hawk's Harbour".
A stockade defends the path through the canyon while a stonefaced gunbastion protects the harbour. The guns will actually fire grenades at hostile NPCs <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/boom.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":boom" border="0" alt="boom.gif" />
In the huts to the right you will be able to hire or press your tenants as sailors. Or you invest some money and convert them into goods-producing workshops.
The merchants in the marketstalls pay taxes to you.
The farm to the left produces food (and maybe tobacco etc.), the palms beside it (which you planted) yield e.g. wood, copra...
Technicals:
-----------
The Building Kit does NOT change to the location model. All those "buildings" are actually items, of Gun_item_type or Blade_item_type. They appear in the game if they are being equiped/attached to characters, which will pose also as inhabitants (your loyal subjects <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="
" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> )
Advantage of that seemingly weird method:
-buildings can be erected anytime anywhere
-they can also be destroyed, by dismantling or hostile attacks
-quests or other gameplayevents can create buildings, i.e. truly random locations could have an ever changing architecture
-buildings can perform gameplayfunctions by means of character AI
-you can modify or influence them by means of a dialogbased menu
-new buildingtypes can always be added just by defining a new item; new functions by editing AI or dialogs (Modelers, this is your chance to create new worlds <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> )
Disadvantage:
-Buildings may look a bit out of place cause they are put "on top" of the locationmodel, especially on uneven ground
-"Inhabitants" must remain motionless cause the buildings are attached to them
-the characterstyle often shows through. E.g. if you destroy a building (i.e. kill the character) it tilts over and collapses with the character
IMHO the disadvantages are petty cosmetics compared to the opportunities this mod offers, gameplaywise as well as for creating new locations.
STILL TO BE DONE
----------------
There is still a lot to be done, but I am optimistic that all vital problems can be solved. Alas I am rather ignorant of modelling(only thanks to Inez' tool I got "Hawk's Harbour" done), so I could do with a little help there <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/type_1.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":nk" border="0" alt="type_1.gif" /> :
-WALKPATCHES
right now you can still walk through those buildings cause they have no patch. Is it possible to make patches for items???
Otherwise we need patches for the inhabitant-characters that fit the model of the building/item they have attached. Which means that for every buildingsize we need one charactermodel.
So it would be very convenient if all houses have the same size so that one character would fit for all.
There are patches for the inside-houses locations. Do these happen to fit for the OUTside also???
-INTERIOR
Not really necessary, but it would be nice if you could walk into the houses (through a gap in the patch) But right now the housemodels (House01_x.gm and House02_x.gm out of Inez' tool) are not only empty but the walls are transparent from inside. Is it possible to add inside walls/textures? Or do some of the House_inside models fit into the buildings? Could the two models be merged?
-CANNONDIRECTION
The muzzle of cannon_bigger_x model points to the left, but to combine it with fortifications like the "fence_x" stockade it should point forward, towards the enemyside. Can the model be rotated by 90deg?
-LOCATORDIRECTION
Another possibility: turning the orientation of the gun_belt locator of the cannon "carrying" character by 90deg. Which locatorvalue (xz? zx?) must be change for that?
Are any modelers willing and able do these things? That would fasten the completion of this mod enormously, cause I have no idea if and when I can learn the required patch/texture/modelling knowledge <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dunno.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="
" border="0" alt="dunno.gif" />
And a question not related to graphics: sometimes random NPCs are created with buildings as "weapons" (ever seen a pirate carrying a shack on his back, like a giant turtle? <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mybad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="
" border="0" alt="mybad.gif" /> Could be employed for workers carrying boxes though... ) I thought that the itemattribute itm.skipequip = true would prevent that, but it doesn't. Any ideas how or where NPC equipment can be prevented?
The screenshot shows the formerly empty Octopus Bay where Nathanial Hawk has recently built the new settlement "Hawk's Harbour".
A stockade defends the path through the canyon while a stonefaced gunbastion protects the harbour. The guns will actually fire grenades at hostile NPCs <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/boom.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":boom" border="0" alt="boom.gif" />
In the huts to the right you will be able to hire or press your tenants as sailors. Or you invest some money and convert them into goods-producing workshops.
The merchants in the marketstalls pay taxes to you.
The farm to the left produces food (and maybe tobacco etc.), the palms beside it (which you planted) yield e.g. wood, copra...
Technicals:
-----------
The Building Kit does NOT change to the location model. All those "buildings" are actually items, of Gun_item_type or Blade_item_type. They appear in the game if they are being equiped/attached to characters, which will pose also as inhabitants (your loyal subjects <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="
" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> )Advantage of that seemingly weird method:
-buildings can be erected anytime anywhere
-they can also be destroyed, by dismantling or hostile attacks
-quests or other gameplayevents can create buildings, i.e. truly random locations could have an ever changing architecture
-buildings can perform gameplayfunctions by means of character AI
-you can modify or influence them by means of a dialogbased menu
-new buildingtypes can always be added just by defining a new item; new functions by editing AI or dialogs (Modelers, this is your chance to create new worlds <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="
" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> )Disadvantage:
-Buildings may look a bit out of place cause they are put "on top" of the locationmodel, especially on uneven ground
-"Inhabitants" must remain motionless cause the buildings are attached to them
-the characterstyle often shows through. E.g. if you destroy a building (i.e. kill the character) it tilts over and collapses with the character
IMHO the disadvantages are petty cosmetics compared to the opportunities this mod offers, gameplaywise as well as for creating new locations.
STILL TO BE DONE
----------------
There is still a lot to be done, but I am optimistic that all vital problems can be solved. Alas I am rather ignorant of modelling(only thanks to Inez' tool I got "Hawk's Harbour" done), so I could do with a little help there <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/type_1.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":nk" border="0" alt="type_1.gif" /> :
-WALKPATCHES
right now you can still walk through those buildings cause they have no patch. Is it possible to make patches for items???
Otherwise we need patches for the inhabitant-characters that fit the model of the building/item they have attached. Which means that for every buildingsize we need one charactermodel.
So it would be very convenient if all houses have the same size so that one character would fit for all.
There are patches for the inside-houses locations. Do these happen to fit for the OUTside also???
-INTERIOR
Not really necessary, but it would be nice if you could walk into the houses (through a gap in the patch) But right now the housemodels (House01_x.gm and House02_x.gm out of Inez' tool) are not only empty but the walls are transparent from inside. Is it possible to add inside walls/textures? Or do some of the House_inside models fit into the buildings? Could the two models be merged?
-CANNONDIRECTION
The muzzle of cannon_bigger_x model points to the left, but to combine it with fortifications like the "fence_x" stockade it should point forward, towards the enemyside. Can the model be rotated by 90deg?
-LOCATORDIRECTION
Another possibility: turning the orientation of the gun_belt locator of the cannon "carrying" character by 90deg. Which locatorvalue (xz? zx?) must be change for that?
Are any modelers willing and able do these things? That would fasten the completion of this mod enormously, cause I have no idea if and when I can learn the required patch/texture/modelling knowledge <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dunno.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="
" border="0" alt="dunno.gif" />And a question not related to graphics: sometimes random NPCs are created with buildings as "weapons" (ever seen a pirate carrying a shack on his back, like a giant turtle? <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mybad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="
" border="0" alt="mybad.gif" /> Could be employed for workers carrying boxes though... ) I thought that the itemattribute itm.skipequip = true would prevent that, but it doesn't. Any ideas how or where NPC equipment can be prevented?
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ahoy@ftp.piratesahoy.net/" target="_blank">ftp://files%40piratesahoy.net
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