Deathwatch

[RavenX]

It has to be a specific pick, and it has to be something that's guaranteed to be on all characters.

If you want it to instead display whatever example the user selects from a category of things (such as from a chooser), you can't put the template there directly - your template will instead be a table entry in a table that has only one item.

If that doesn't work, I'll have to spend a bit of time explaining how the agent linkage mechanisms work, so you can build something like the Pathfinder/d20 class tabs.

For the most part, I need the features thing to display text. So I think template is the right way to go. Basically its displaying what additional skills the Space Marine gets training in. This system is much less complicated than Pathfinder's class system. When a user picks a specialty for a space marine, they get what they get. Kind of like how character classes in 2nd edition worked.

The only thing the user picks is the Special Ability (A solo mode or squad mode ability) and I left that in the abAbility table because it works fine like that, I figured no sense reinventing the wheel on that. I still need to figure out how to put prereqs on the special abilities so only the valid options are selectable for each specialty but I'd like to get the basics of the tab done before worrying about that. Deathwatch Specialty's are basically simplified character classes, like that paths that Dark Heresy characters get, but they're fixed paths without any branch points between ranks. If you're a tactical marine, you're a tactical marine for the duration of play.

 

[RavenX]

So if I'm not mistaken you are saying the thing="" should be the pick where the data I'm looking to display is stored, or an info pick set up in the proceedures for display?

 

[Mathias]

If you want to set up a portal like this:

<portal
  id="info"
  style="actInfo">
  <action
    action="info">
    </action>
  <mouseinfo/>
  </portal>

Then you want thing="spcTactica" in the templateref for the template this shows up in, in order to show it for the tactical specialty, or you want thing="spcDevasta" to show it for the devastator specialty.

Since you probably don't want to write a different template for every possible specialty, you'll probably want to place this info portal inside a table - that table will be a fixed table that will only show the single specialty that was selected for this character.

 

[RavenX]

You don't need a table for every specialty though do you?
I thought all I needed was one template / table to display the data, based on the choice the user makes on the specialty chooser.

 

[RavenX]

If you want to set up a portal like this:

<portal
  id="info"
  style="actInfo">
  <action
    action="info">
    </action>
  <mouseinfo/>
  </portal>

Then you want thing="spcTactica" in the templateref for the template this shows up in, in order to show it for the tactical specialty, or you want thing="spcDevasta" to show it for the devastator specialty.

Since you probably don't want to write a different template for every possible specialty, you'll probably want to place this info portal inside a table - that table will be a fixed table that will only show the single specialty that was selected for this character.

When I'm working with the info portal does it always show up as a mouseover ? in hero lab or are there other ways to get this portal to display the information?

 

[Mathias]

I just remembered an info portal from your last example, so that was the example I used. You can display whatever information you want, through label portals, through an info button, or whatever.

 

[Mathias]

This is the kind of table I mean:

<portal
  id="spSpec"
  style="tblInvis">
  <table_fixed
    component="Specialty"
    showtemplate="spSpecPick">
    </table_fixed>
  </portal>

Since characters in this system will only have one Specialty, this will simply display the information about whatever specialty they chose.

 

[RavenX]

Ok cool. I think I get it now. I don't know why I couldn't figure these out before. I guess I was just too stressed out or something. I see what you mean now. I actually got this working. I feel like I've finally made some progress on this now.

Thank you Mathias.

 

[morkalg]

I actually got this working. I feel like I've finally made some progress on this now.

Thats very encouraging.

 

[RavenX]

Thats very encouraging.

Don't get your hopes up just yet though.
I still have a lot to learn still and many things to iron out on this data.

I understand how these portals work though, which is a good thing and a step in the right direction.

 

[jbearwillis]

Well take your time - you are doing all of us who enjoy the game a big favor by trying to tackle this. I myself will wait patiently on your progress. Thanks for your effort.

 

[RavenX]

Progress on this will be slow. The basic character creation stuff is getting there, but I still have a lot to implement. Weapon and Armor modifications will take time to tackle I expect. Its slow going but the progress made so far shows promise.

 

[RavenX]

Mathias,

What would be the best way to restrict Specialty choices based on Chapter?
Black Templar Space Marines cannot be of the Devastator or Librarian Specialty.
Space Wolves cannot take Apothecary.
I could probably hard code this, but I'm thinking some of the newer chapters released in other supplements might have similar Specialty restrictions and I'd like to be able to implement this through the editor somehow if possible.

I know in Shadowrun we have ModCatAllw tags for specifying which category of mods we want a weapon or vehicle to be able to take, but I'm not entirely sure how to go about doing something like this for Specialties. Since space marines need weapon mods I am assuming the process for limiting will be similar to specialties.

 

[RavenX]

Here is what I've gotten done since the last time I posted a progress shot. Its not much but with the help Mathias has given me its a little further along.

 

[Mathias]

Sounds like you want to create a "ForbidSpec" identity tag group on the specialties.

<identity group="ForbidSpec"/>

Then, if a chapter forbids that specialty, that ForbidSpec tag gets put on that chapter.

The Chapters have a script that adds all ForbidSpec tags to the hero:

perform forward[ForbidSpec.?]

And the specialties have a prereq that makes sure the hero doesn't have that tag:

validif (hero.isidentity[ForbidSpec] = 0)

 

[RavenX]

Hmmm,
I must be getting better at working with this xml code.
I was able to get this working with just what you explained to me.
I guess fiddling around with this has improved my skills considerably.
I got this working now, thank for the assistance.

 

[RavenX]

And I got it implemented in the Chapter tab in the editor as well.
This is going better this time around.

 

[RavenX]

Here is a progress shot,
I now have a summary panel for talents, and Past Events have been implemented as well on the Chapter Tab. As I add new items to the tabs I am trying to add them into the editor as well so that users can add their own content from other books later on.

I think I am starting to make some good headway on this.

 

[RavenX]

Mathias,

Question regarding Pathfinder. Do all of the individual classes get their own tab? I don't think I will need something along those lines for all specialties, but I am thinking the Librarian or psykers in general should probably have its own tab to handle psychic powers.

 

[Mathias]

In Pathfinder, a function called "agent" linkages allows each class to generate their own tab, all based on the same template.

There's so much information about each class, and because nearly all classes in Pathfinder are customizable in some way, that we do give every class its own tab.