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Just starting out!

Discussion in 'Modding' started by Shotgunkiwi, Jan 27, 2012.

  1. Shotgunkiwi

    Shotgunkiwi Member

    Hey folks and fellas.

    I am hoping to get into modding, and I`ve read both of the guides, but I still have quite a few questions, I was wondering if there could be anyone who wouldn`t mind helping me?

    I`m still going over a few class concepts in the making as well.

    So far~
    - Still thinking of a name, but a MP version of the skill class Vampire?
    - Templar (DA2 references abound ye-maties!) for magic resistance and spell protection with a high class AOE spell
    - Grenadier, I was shocked at the lack of attention given to the grenades of Dredmor, skills still under judgement, but a grenade ammo skill will absolutely be added.

    Which should I start with/catches the attention out of you guys the most?
     
  2. Ruigi

    Ruigi Will Mod for Digglebucks

    First skill don't bother.
    Second skill has a similar class already made by someone else, check out "inquisitor"
    Third class sounds great.
     
  3. Shotgunkiwi

    Shotgunkiwi Member

    Thanks for your input! I shall start going over the skills and balancing them out as we speak.

    (As I have very little idea on a few parts of what I should be doing scripting wise)

    Quick question.

    Macgyver-esk (Transform any item that isn`t food or alcohol into a random class bomb?)
    Or simply bomb spawning skill with a large cooldown/MP drain?

    Would a buff that effects drop rates also be plausible? I`m thinking like, a skill that gives a 25% drop rate of explosives but large penalties to stats and so forth.

    Edit: For the Macgyer-esk, is it possible to have the rarity of the item effect the rarity/type of the bomb?
     
  4. Ruigi

    Ruigi Will Mod for Digglebucks

    spells can target items or artifacts, but they can't be more specific than that. and to your question about rarity/type: no.
    monsters don't drop items, only gold. but you can create a skill that performs an onkilleffect that spawns an item
     
  5. Essence

    Essence Will Mod for Digglebucks

    Not entirely true, or the old 'transmute a gem/wand/mushroom into another gem/wand/mushroom' abilities wouldn't have worked. In fact, there is even an ability in the SpellDB (commented out, of course) that turns a random wand into a hand grenade. :)

    As to drop rates, your best bet is probably something like an on-kill effect that has a small chance of dropping a random grenade whenever you kill a baddy.
     
  6. Shotgunkiwi

    Shotgunkiwi Member

    As for gameplay wise, what sounds better do you two think? A buff with roughly 25% spawn rate on grenades but minuses to stats (Or a fragile weapon based buff with added :dmg_blast: damage to attacks)
    Or, transmute based skill?
    Or, finally, a high MP cost/cooldown random grenade generating power?

    I would simply have it as a passive bonus, but don`t ya`ll think that it borders on overpowered?
     
  7. You can already make bombs with Tinkering... is it your goal to provide an alternative to Tinkering?

    If you want to generate free stuff, I suggest you take a look at existing official skillsets and mod skillsets that give you free stuff. None of them give you a direct penalty; the penalty is "you've taken a stuff-generating skill instead of a directly-useful combat skill". Looking at those skills will give you a decent idea of power levels n such.
     
  8. Shotgunkiwi

    Shotgunkiwi Member

    Not really Rarefied, it was more to provide a way for a stable flow of grenades so this skill tree becomes useful, as grenades are quite rare unless you want to dabble with Tinkering.

    Its my goal for the skill to make using grenades as a core weapon more practical.

    Edit: I do see what you mean Rarefied, I`ve been looking through some of your scripts (Huge fan of your mod by the way) and I can see the reason. But from that, would a fragile weapon buff that adds :dmg_blast: and a chance to spawn bombs work better than a constant increase? Or tie both into one rank? Add both a passive chance and a buff that increases the chance further and provides blast damage?
     
  9. Ruigi

    Ruigi Will Mod for Digglebucks

    look at the code for Green Harvest. that should point you in the direction you want to go.

    hint: check skillsdb.xml and spellsdb.xml
     
  10. Don't use me as a reference! I'm still getting started out myself, and am playing around with different incarnations of my ideas. Glad you like it, though. I'll leave any further advice to Essence, Ruigi, et al... I gave you pretty much all of what meager wisdom I have to offer in the previous post.
     
  11. Ryvian

    Ryvian Member

    Well, you can create a skill that causes you to deal blasting type damage whenever you throw something. I created one for a juggler class that I never finished. Basically a skill with an upkeep cost, and when active, deals moderate explosive damage on thrownhit, and a chance (20%) to trigger a skill that causes any projectile you throw to exploded (ie, throw a softball, EXPLOSION, throw acid, EXPLOSION, throw ninja stars, EXPLOSIONS. As long as you can balance the upkeep mana cost, it can be quite fun, and would suit your mod just fine.

    As for spawning bombs, you can do it like Ruigi's Clockwork Knight mod.
    Also if you're gonna go with Grenadier, might as well make a smoke grenade item/skill that allows you to get away (invis), cause asphyxiating damage to opponents, and reduces enemy sight.
    Create or use a Flashbang item/skill to blind, confuse, and deal Righteous damage to opponents.
    And for your Explosive Finale, a high cooldown high manacost skill, toss an entire stack of explosive instead of just one, and have them all trigger at the same time, when you want to skill something really really dead.

    EDIT: Not sure if last point is codeable, but meh.
     
  12. Essence

    Essence Will Mod for Digglebucks

    Just for the record, you can't have both cooldown and mana cost on the same skill.
     
  13. Ryvian

    Ryvian Member

    Ah, in that case one or the other hahaha. Not sure, I've never fully finished a mod either, though I've got 2-3 half finished ones lying around.
     
  14. Shotgunkiwi

    Shotgunkiwi Member

    I will definitely be adding a fair amount of blast resist and even a 'Blast Shield' (Fragile shield buff) to allow use of explosives in close range without meaning certain death, that or a teleport that triggers an explosion of some kind (Perhaps smoke bomb as you spoke of Ryvian).

    And I have a fair amount of skills already in mind Ryvian, I`m more thinking of how to deal with the supply of grenades and so forth as they are quite hard to get a hold of unless you rely on tinkering.
     
  15. Essence

    Essence Will Mod for Digglebucks

    My personal suggestion:
    You can have one of each kind of trigger per skill level (proc on hit, proc when hit, proc on cast, proc on kill, etc.)

    Build your levels more or less normally, then add a proc-on-kill to each level that has something like a 10% chance of producing a grenade.

    1st (class) level: makeshift bomb
    2nd level: concussion bomb
    3rd level: thermite bomb
    4th level: iron bomb
    5th level: frag bomb
    6th level: hand grenade
    (7th level: holy hand grenade?)

    That way, you'll end up getting plenty of smaller bombs in the mid to upper levels and enough level-appropriate bombs that you won't suffer from their lacking.
     
    Daynab likes this.
  16. Ruigi

    Ruigi Will Mod for Digglebucks

    If I were a BAD DEMOMAN, i wouldn't be SITTIN' HERE DISCUSSIN' IT WITH YE NOW WOULD I?
     
    Ryvian likes this.
  17. Essence

    Essence Will Mod for Digglebucks

    (And just because no one has said it yet, the MP version of the Vampire skill is called Blood Magic, and it's been around forever.)
     
  18. Shotgunkiwi

    Shotgunkiwi Member

    (I was more meaning a solid version of the MPvamp, as in, superior mana leech compared to blood magic but zero regeneration to MP, since blood magic has MP regen, it does not class as exactly the same)

    That sounds good, I also want to make it that, at higher levels you have an almost infinite supply of Makeshifts and a decent supply of the rest...

    Time to get cracking with the skills... Though I do need some help with a few of the item spawns.
     
  19. Plus, Blood Magic encourages bonking things. I could see a slightly different design space being occupied by a skill that gets all its mana from magical murder.

    ...Mana From Murder needs to be the name of one of your skills.

    Hit me up in IRC, Shotgun, if you want occasional assistance when I'm not gaming.
     
    Shotgunkiwi likes this.
  20. Shotgunkiwi

    Shotgunkiwi Member

    Will do, thanks for the offer man!

    Edit: What Rarefied said inspired me to continue as planned with the Magical Murder class, and plan for a Luck-based class.