Atomic Highway

[jbearwillis]

I'm working on a game called Atomic Highway, It has Attributes and skills that go to a max of 5 each. I have it set up and working to raise them each to 5. What I need is them to work with circles like the world of darkness in stead of numbers, but for the life of me, I can't figure out how to do it with circles. Could some one help me with this.

Also how would I hide a tab with a source as it's trigger, also how would I hide a tab and have a race as it's trigger.

Thanks for any help.
John

[Mathias]

First, you'll need a graphic (.bmp only) for both filled and empty circles. Then, add a finalize script to the field that uses a for statement:

 
@text = ""
 
var i as number
for i = 1 to 5
  if (<= @value) then
    @text &= "{bmp filled}"
  else
    @text &= "{bmp empty}"
    endif
  next

Where the words filled and empty are replaced by the filenames (leave off the .bmp extension) of the files you're using.

Oh, and that will display the filled circles on the left, empty on the right, so reverse the logic if your game displays the filled circles on the right.

You'll most likely need two separate fields, one for inside the program and on the statblock, the other for the character sheet, since you'll probably want white or colored circles inside the program and black circles on the character sheet.

P.S. If you want to try to find a font that has circles that look appropriate, make certain that you have the "Warn About Platform Specific Fonts" option in the develop menu turned on. I'm pretty sure I remember that there's a pair of useful looking circles in one of the wingdings fonts, for example, but that font isn't installed on every Mac or Linux system the way it is on a PC, so if you used that font, and someone not using a PC used the game system you created, they'd get errors about an unrecognized font.

P.P.S. place the .bmp files in the same directory as your .dat files.

[Mathias]

At the bottom of each tab_ file will be a <panel> element. The <live> element within that is where you'd add an expression that controls the visibility of that panel.

[jbearwillis]

I'm still at a loss to how the circle thing works, I don't know where to put this in and how to write the script. Everything I have tried didn't work. I know I'm not writing it correctly and or putting it in the right areas. I have the 2 bmps and all, Is there a way you could give an example of what you mean and where to place it at. This side is still all new to me.

[RavenX]

Jbearwillis,

This would go in your tab_attributes.dat file or tab_basics.dat, as part of the output portals to display on the screen. I've had to spend hours thinking on bits like this, but you've seen what I did with Deathwatch. Make sure you've placed the .bmp files into the game system folder. The circles are basically going to be an output portal, you may want to study the image portal info in the hero lab kit wiki a little.

[Mathias]

I'd recommend working on function first. Then, once you've gotten enough done in your game system that a user could create a character, at that point come back and get things looking nice - replacing numbers with circles.

[jbearwillis]

Ok I'm taking your advice. Now for a new question, I have the factions and group boxes that were used in the savage world files working for this game and are able to pick from them ( they are call rearing and pursuits) each one gives skill bonuses to a selection of skills automatically when the rearing or pursuit is chosen. Some rearing and pursuits give a choice between some skills (Example: Rearing - Nomad gives the Skills: Boat 1 or Drive 1 or Pilot 1 / Intimidate 1 or Persuade 1 / Melee 1, Scavenge 1, Shoot 1 / Survive 1 or Tech 1.) Now the question I need to be answered is there a way to let the player make a choice of of which skill gets the bonus added to it. In the above example the player would need to make 3 choices. Other then this problem the game in general is pretty easy to implement.

Thanks for any help

[Mathias]

You're going to need 4 drop-down menus showing on that faction, each of which offers one of these skill selections. Then, look up the user's choices in each case, and assign a bonus to the skill they selected.

If you've used a chooser for the faction selection, you may want to change that to a table, so that you can put the drop-down menus on it.

[jbearwillis]

Ok thanks, I will start work on it and see if I can get it going. Well I only need 3 right, the skills (Melee 1, Scavenge 1, Shoot 1 - the character gets all 3 at that level) the rest they have to make a choice, or am I wrong about that.

[jbearwillis]

Ok got the Rearings and Pursuits working great.
Now I would like to change the look of the skill tab a little.

I would like to have 2 columns of skills - 10 skills in each column ( See example of the Screen Shot below Diagram #2 is Photoshopped).

Diagram #1 shows how it is now.

What I would like is it to work like Diagram #2.

How would I get it to look and work as such

Thanks Jbear