Well this is the final version of the felling GUI for the current alpha.
Much more organised.
Next up, skill windows and action buttons.
MONDAY, 21 JUNE 2010 BY EARL (SIGNET)
Well this is the final version of the felling GUI for the current alpha.
Much more organised.
Next up, skill windows and action buttons.
SUNDAY, 20 JUNE 2010 BY EARL (SIGNET)
This is the first version of the Felling GUI. I have had a few issues closing the window after the tree falls. Something in the engine stops the call for the GUI to close from actually triggering. I think this is a small quirk in the engine and for now its just going to have to remain a small annoyance.
The GUI closes if you walk away from the tree. I can only assume that if the tree is destroyed before the GUI closes (by another player perhaps?) then it will remain open in a similar way to before. Again, not a problem as it can be closed manually with the esc key. I will investigate it later.
Another thing on the “Investigate later” pile is making it movable. The flags are there but I obviously havn’t set it up right. (Click to make the picture bigger)
Please be aware that this is NOT the final version of the GUI. I have things to add and things to move, but the functionality is there. The green triangle is like a progress bar. It starts out green and finished red. As you can see from the screenshot I have been hitting it for a while.
The “Hit” figure is the amount of felling that has been done. This will probably end up being a percentage. The “Wood Loss” figure represents the amount of wood you have smashed/ruined on the tree in the process of chopping it.
And the skill level… well it explains itself. My character is “Adept” at Felling.
TUESDAY, 15 JUNE 2010 BY EARL (SIGNET)
I have a number of upgrades to the Felling Skill which I hope will set a standard for the way the rest of the games systems feed information back to the player.
The GUI for Annor is quite reduced. We don’t want to add a load of clutter to the NWN2 display. Currently when you chop a tree nothing happens visually. Your character just hits the tree with whatever weapon until the tree falls over. You have no idea how well you are doing or indeed, how badly you are doing. You also have no idea how close to falling the tree is.
To inform you of your progress there will now be a new GUI window that pops up the moment your first swing makes contact with the tree (provided you arn’t punching it).
The GUI window will be dedicated to showing the FELLING progress. It will have a tree picture on the left (done in the Annor Classic GUI style of White & Colour like the Status GUI element). Next to the tree will be a V shape on its side making a wedge. This wedge will be like a progress bar and decrease as the tree gets closer to falling.
After each hit the GUI will update and tell you how good your hit was and how much damage you did to the tree in the process (for the last swing). It also tells you your level in Felling. This standard GUI will also be applied to the Bucking and Hewing systems when they are written. The images etc will be changed accordingly. Screenshots to come later this week.
TUESDAY, 25 MAY 2010 BY EARL (SIGNET)
Tonight I hope to complete the GENESIS rewrite.
Today I have been thinking about the weapon models as well as the tree models that I am now expecting to have to modify myself. Eventually when more is done I will have to make further alterations to GENESIS to cope with more models. But until then I am targeting Icons and 3D models.
I have a shed load of plant models to make. Snakebane started doing these but vanished after sending me one model. Right now I am looking at making models for common resources and the Icons to go with those resources.
Axes – There will be 3 basic type of axe in the game. The first will be hand axe. The second will be battle axe. The battle axe will be a larger form of the battle axe. Last of all will be the great axe. The great axe will be used for cutting trees down the quickest. Unfortunately creating a great axe will require either luck or thundering on with smaller axes to begin with.
All stone weapons will be fairly basic. Once the players move on to metal the options increase. Handle and head shape become a factor when putting one together. These will also make a difference to the stats of the weapon in the end.
Other changes…
Once GENESIS has been rewritten I will be making changes to the felling scripts once more. Weapon size and weight will impact stat deductions. Damage to the tree will impact experience given and material hardness will impact how quickly the weapon gets blunt.
THURSDAY, 20 MAY 2010 BY EARL (SIGNET)
I did finish my early version of a stone axe model yesterday. Unfortunately WordPress was running in satanic mode and wouldn’t let me upload a screenshot.
I have solved the issue but I am at work so I will post a screenshot when I get home.
I will attempt to get some work done this weekend but what I can do will be very limited. Tomorrow I drive to Sutton and pick my sister up from the airport on Saturday morning. Then I drive back to Devon. Then I am in Plymouth until Sunday.
I will see what time I have tonight.
WEDNESDAY, 19 MAY 2010 BY EARL (SIGNET)
After a busy weekend away (and with another two coming up) I havn’t achieved a great deal. I do mish having my laptop when I am away but not necessarily busy.
Being able to bring Annor with me and working on it wherever I was is something I certainly do miss.
So GENESIS. Have I finished rewriting it? No. Have I done anything? Yes…
I have been looking into the 3D model side of things. After tearing my hair out over the worlds most extreme modelling misunderstanding of the century I have finally figured out the process which I can only describe as god damned awful.
I have managed to solve the issues with modifying the trees (but have yet to alter these models myself. My list of exploits includes venturing into the world of axe modelling for the felling system. Neverwinter Nights 2 doesn’t come with an array of primitive axe models. In fact when it comes to hand axes it doesn’t come with any type of array at all. Just one simple model. – Great.
Instead of explaining how bloody stupid I am, I will tell you how bloody awesome I am! I have modeled and textured a small stone axe: 
I would post a screenshot but I had so much trouble getting the damn model to work that I didn’t get round to adding the actual *Axe* bit. So its a stick with the ends chewed off. But hey, at least it exists! I will finish the axe tonight (it will be the most basic axe you can make for cutting trees/wildlife) if I can.
FRIDAY, 14 MAY 2010 BY EARL (SIGNET)
Just a quick update as I don’t think there will be many until next week.
Now and then I have ideas about improving a system that spring into my head. Today I have had an idea about the Genesis system and deciding if trees are chop-able or not. Tonight I will try this system out and see if it works.
Put simply, upon spawning a tree it will count the nearest trees and find out how many are already chop-able. If that number is less than 3 then the new tree will be chop-able. If it is greater, the new tree will be chop-able but the furthest tree will be deactivated (provided its not in the process of being cut down).
Only problem is I need to make it work quickly. I will look at the code tonight and see if I can make it viable. It could solve all of the major problems with the system.
TUESDAY, 11 MAY 2010 BY EARL (SIGNET)
After looking at the finer details of Player – Creature (NPC) combat and damage bonuses I have decided to make alterations to the cut down script.
Yes I know it isn’t even finished yet!
So what’s gonna change?
To put it simply, the script for calculating the damage a weapon does to the tree will be altered to include one new element: WEIGHT
The reason this wasn’t considered last week was because other systems that use the same variables used by the Felling system were not 100% agreed on. An example would be the creature damage system. Sharpness of a weapon is fine until you are attacking creatures. In Annor, the base damage a weapon does is literally take as just that – base damage. On top of that are the weapons stats and the players skill etc which are not part of the NWN2 engine. Sharpness would then be applied as additional damage.
Great – until you start using a hammer, or a staff etc. This is where weight will come in. Sharper, lighter weapons will balance off against blunter heavier ones. This evening I will be adjusting the maths to take the weight into account. Lucky for me, weapons don’t really get much lighter with use. Usually.
FRIDAY, 7 MAY 2010 BY EARL (SIGNET)
After one more night of maths I am all but done with the Felling skill. All that needs to be done is for me to add in a few lines to decrement the players stat levels.
Alongside these additions I will deploy alterations to the character status maths and the stage at which problems occur for the player to put up with. I may postpone  these changes until I have created a viable way of replenishing the hunger and thirst bars in-game.
It has been difficult putting up with the game forcing me to travel slowly from place to place due to my character being hungry and I don’t know if I am finding it more annoying simply because I have to alter the database to replenish my stats. I think there will still be adjustments to make but for now all I am worried about is testing it thoroughly.
As of today, characters will receive exp each time they chop at a tree. The system now seems balanced. The only problem for me is the model issue. The next stage in the Lumberjack skill group is the bucking stage, where the tree is stripped of branches etc. Nothing to screenshot yet. A video would be rather boring too.
With a decent axe and a level 5 Felling skill, the current Birch trees in the game can be taken down in just under 2 minutes real time. This may be EXTENDED.
Why?
Because I don’t really know how long it takes to cut a tree down. 5 minutes = 1 hour game time. If you know the answer then use the Contact Us page 
THURSDAY, 6 MAY 2010 BY EARL (SIGNET)
So, election night in jolly old England.
While the polling stations do their maths, I have been slamming my head on the desk doing my own. Felling system for the lumberjack skill group. In short, the most pain in the ass group of sums ever.
Finally, I have them figured out. And here is brief example of how they work:-
Skill Effectiveness
((Skill Level x 6 )+ Skill Level %) + 1d6 (Luck Roll)
Chop Deduction
Edge Hardness – Wood Hardness x 10% of Max Felling Level (Original level of points until tree falls)
100 – Skill Effectiveness % of Previous sum result.
Wood Damage
2% of tree wood – Skill Effectiveness
And that is only half of it…