A new tool in the making (ToEESG)

Hello everyone,

I wanted to inform everyone that the development of a new tool has started. The tool's working codename is ToEESG (ToEE Script Generator). This name is likely to stay, though. The tool is inspired by a heavily successful script generator for Neverwinter Nights (Lilac Soul's NWN Script Generator), and will be designed to provide a similar environment to create beginner-to-intermediate level of scripts. The purpose of the tool is to assist scripters in creating typical scripts (e.g. teleporting the party, playing a movie, creating an object, destroying an object, starting a dialog with a NPC, etc.). Beginner scripters will be able to learn scripting easier (and exclude the heavy routine of learning Python ONLY if they want to add some basic script support to their mods), while expert scripters will be able to create typical scripts a lot faster without having to type in the repetitive code every time.

Currently my dev team consists of only two people (one of them is yours truly ), so the development will be going quite slowly, considering the fact that we'll need to do a lot of testing along the way. The plans are to integrate the ToEESG with ToEEWB in the future, but the first versions of ToEESGs (public betas and first releases) will come as standalone programs.

Release date is ... eh... probably "when it's done" for now. I hate saying this, but it's the closest approximation I can get. Speaking seriously, the first public beta is sure to appear not any sooner than in 2-3 weeks (though I would expect at least a month). Anyway, I'll keep everyone posted on the development of this new utility.

Thanks for reading.
- Agetian

 

Once again, just as I am preparing to hand out blank templates, Agetian is one step ahead.

 

Hey, maybe we can cooperate in this? Maybe you could give me a list of your templates or at least give me some ideas as to what they are, so that I know what the community targets first a lot better?...
That'd be really nice of you!

- Agetian

 

We'll see about that. It's too early to say anything specific.
I'll keep everyone informed on my progress.
- Agetian

 

Ok I am gonna show my hand a little (about a day early).

What we really need (imho) are:

'Draw weapon' script, so that NPCs have their weapons kept in a non-showing slot then equip them when combat starts (shields n bucklers too if possible). Agetians strikes me as the perfect person to do this since he understands such slots better than the rest of us. Having NPCs wandering their church or home or whatever with drawn waepons is silly and gives too much away.

'Change weapon' script, so the NPC can loose a missile weapon of some sort - even if it is just throwing a javelin - then change to a melee weapon and use them both effectively.

'Saving throw' scripts to just put straight in, with easily addable modifiers.

'Surrender' and 'run' scripts with morale checks - game_sid=0 for san_start_combat perhaps?

O and Agetian, my blanks are already seen in their embryonic form in my dialogue tutorial thread. Being able to create a san_dialog thing with 'npc has met', 'npc has not met' and 'turn to face triggerer' things with a click would be very nice.

 

A report on ToEESG progress: Well, first two days of the development have passed, and I was mostly busy trying to set up a basic engine that could handle the script generation in the future. In fact, the following things are done:

- Basic visual interface (about 40% is finished)
- Functions to create a new script, save a script to disk, and copy it to the clipboard.
- Internal helper functions to do supplementary tasks, like - creating a python script file name from the given ID and name.
- Various minor things.

So, as you can see, there is nothing solid yet. The biggest problem right now is to add an extensibility model that will allow to script different actions and conditions and plug them into the above-mentioned engine. Also, writing the script generator itself is a daunting task. But anyway, I keep developing the program whenever I have some spare time to do so.

My assistant signed off from the project, saying that he'll be very busy within the next couple weeks, so right now I'm once again a one-man-dev-team. Ah well, I think I can handle it alone as well

- Agetian

 

Just use game.obj_create( 14447, location_from_axis(loc) ) and Burne's apprentice will appear to help you.

Errm, keep your mind on the tool, Agetian. No, the OTHER one.

 

My usual report on ToEESG progress: The project is progressing very nicely so far. Even though I'm all alone developing it at the moment, I've had considerable progress within the last three days. First of all, I'd like to say that today ToEESG Internal Alpha v0.12 has generated its first, very simple, yet real script (teleporting party to another location, assuming that the script is only ran once, and returning the RUN_DEFAULT value). However, this simple script showed that:

- ToEESG can perfectly indent Python scripts.
- ToEESG can process complex function patterns and translate them into meaningful Python commands.
- It's possible to configure the ToEESG generator completely externally with a configuration file. Therefore, there will be lots of room for customizability.

So far, the progress is like this:
- Visual interface is about 90% done, I'm still working on action parameter windows.
- Generator functions are completely finished (including indentation/deindentation and translation of customizable text patterns into Python commands).

The following timeline is currently planned:
First private beta versions (beta testers: Allyx, Shiningted) - in a little over a week.
First public beta versions (available to everyone) - in 2-3 weeks
First release - unknown yet. Depends too much on how the beta phases will go.

The timeline is subject to change, depending on the time I have available for development.

- Agetian