I need your opinion with the Object Type

[foody]

Like I said before I am making an Ultima 7 construction set. You need to have experience with Ultima 7 to answer this question, I am making an object type that represents everything in the game...from craters, to tables, to doors, walls, trees, roof, bed, chair, to a bucket that when you double click it you get a green cursor and when you use it on a well the character picks up the bucket and puts in the well, rolls the well then rolls it back up again to receive water, etc, etc.

My question is the object type I have made right now is more than enough to do all of this?:


Object Type
1. Name
2. Picture
3. Price
4. Stone
5. Volume
6. CanBePicked? (If set false you cannot pick the object you will get Too Heavy message, otherwise you can pick it up.)
7. Action
8. Trigger By
9. Passable To
10. Disappear?
11. Structural Strength
12. Replace
13. Stackable?
14. ObjectType (Container, etc)
15. UseObjectFromAWithB
16. Usable
17. Event
18. Duration
19. GlueToObjectX*
20. FreezeInMidAir?
End Type

I need your constructive opinion what am I missing in the Object Type? What do I need to add in the Object Type? Is everything in the Object Type available to do all of this? Would I be able to make a door that when you double click it, it opens and when you double click it, it close? Is the Object Type property above enough to do this? Would I be able to make a locked door? Would I be able to have a magically locked door? Would I be able to have a container with this? Would I be able to have a powder keg with this? Would I be able to have a pocket that can be used? I need your fullest opinion, please list further items I have missed in the ObjectType. Your help will be greatly appreciate it.

[foody]

I guess no one is interested to help me. Oh well. * shrugs *

[Roody_Yogurt]

Sorry, I'm glad you're putting some thought into this but I would have no idea what to suggest.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

I guess no one is interested to help me. Oh well. * shrugs *

Yeah, what you have listed seems to definitely have a ton of features that would help you with the majority of the objects in the game. How difficult is it for you to add a feature to the base object at a later date? It would probably mean a global find/replace for those items lacking it.

What language are you doin' this up in, foody?

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Also!! Can objects be attacked and destroyed? Like, for instance, if you have a stove, does it have hit points? I honestly can't recall if every object in U7 did.

Powder kegs are a good example for your system. For instance, if you destroy one of those, it's good form in video games to have it explode. (But again, I don't recall off the top of my head what happens in U7.) But I'm thinking damage dealt and damage it can take would be two things it should have.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Also, the new forum is terrible at providing color-based feedback when there are new posts in a forum. So I'll be changing the icons shortly.

[foody]

@Ice Cream Jonsey

Actually yes, you can set hit point of the objects to be destroyed...you can also make it indestructible too. You can make powder keg with it too. As for the language I am using VB.Net, the .NET framework.

[jjsonick]

Not to be a thread Nazi, but foody/ICJ, would it possible to move discussions of this 'Ultima 7 Construction set' into the Adventurer's Guild base? Just because if there ends up being several threads here about the development of the Ultima 7 tool, it will be confusing to people actually looking up stuff about ACK. And Ultima 7, as discussed, is advanced pretty far away from the ACK approach.

[jjsonick]

Thanks, ICJ.

foody, you might want to look at the documentation for Exult Studio, the program that allows you to edit U7 (as long as you run U7 through the Exult engine) to get additional ideas. Specifically, take a look at the multi-purpose 'egg' objects and how they are used:
http://exult.sourceforge.net/studio.php#Egg%20editing

[foody]

What do you guys think about Vehicle editor:?

Vehicle Type
(Vehicle Editor might be considered the most difficult editor between the rests of them but the end result is endless fun and infinite imagination to making your own Vehicle. Unlike the other RPG Makers out there where you get predefined 32 X 32 sprites that represents a vehicle and the hero simply disappears as he enters his ship and moves it around, here you have to build your own Vehicle and set its property.)
1. Name
2. SizeX
3. SizeY
4. AddObject (Here use the object from the object editor to build your Vehicle.)
5. AddFloor (1 to 3 billion)
6. GlueAll (Click this button to finalize your Vehicle structure. Ones you click it the entire structure becomes one giant sprite and therefore you cannot add on top of it anymore or remove objects from it. This step is irreversible)
7. AddZone (Yes you can add your very own zone here, even have spawning monsters come out lol)
8. Pickable? (If you set yes, you can literally pick it up and put it in your inventory)
9. If Pickable yes: 1) Stone, 2) Price, 3) Volume
10. ActionIfUse? (If you fill this up, everything after step 10 is ignored except for 15.)
11. SittingProperty: With this you specify where the NPC will sit before using the Vehicle to transport. How the NPC will look like when sitting, how many sitting there are, etc.
12. VehicleType: Flying, Ocean, Land, etc.
13. Speed: 1 to 10 where 10 being the fastest.
14. MusicWhenRide: Set the music when riding the Vehicle.)
15. ConditionToUse?: Do you want a person to have a certain deed before using the Vehicle.
16. AutomativeCondition *.
17. AnimateObjectInStep **.
End Type

* With the Vehicle someone must pilot it in order for it to move around, therefore if you build a giant ship as big as half a town with many places to explore; the ship will have to stop in mid-air in order for the person to explore it. However if you want to make a ship that is automotive for example with certain speed that allows you to explore it while being piloted automatically to a certain location you can use AutomativeCondition in this regard. However, it is impossible to pilot the ship at well when the pilot is not piloting it and exploring the ship at the same when the pilot is always you.

** The Vehicle editor will animate all the objects property in smooth loop however if you want certain objects to animate one frame per step in looping motion like a horse for example use the AnimateObjectInStep to select which object you want to animate per step.