Underdark - band

[Derakon]

Well, if you find someone willing to help you, all the better, but I wouldn't count on it. Most variants are one-person jobs. Sorry for being pessimistic.

[Therem Harth]

Personally I'd suggest taking a look at the code, if you have the time.

You mentioned that you wrote scripts and mods for other RPGs. This sounds like it implies some level of understanding of how to design stuff - something much more important than being familiar with C, the basics of which are not that hard to pick up.

(C does do some tricky stuff with pointers and arrays, but if you follow the examples in the Angband source code you generally won't create horrible bugs.)

Edit: BTW it helps to be familiar with the command line. grep (or the Windows equivalent, I think that would be FindStr?) is invaluable when working with... any source code, really.

[d_m]

Originally Posted by Therem Harth

(C does do some tricky stuff with pointers and arrays, but if you follow the examples in the Angband source code you generally won't create horrible bugs.)

This is true, except when it's not.

In particular, there are some tricky low-level things in a few places. But I agree with the basic sentiment. In fact, I would say it is often traditional for Angband developers to not know C before working on Angband!

[JohnCW9]

Originally Posted by Zireael

Exactly, it's what I mean.

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I've downloaded NPP Angband, and I've edited the pc_race.txt, swapping Drow for hobbit. So far, everything works. Next races to be added are Duergar and Svirfnebli.

EDIT: Duergar and Svirfnebli are in. Next stop - Half-Drow. (all are swaps - for Half-Troll, for Dunadan and for something else).

A few questions: Is there a way to add Spell Resistance for Drow? Right now it's just high saves. Is there a way to add Spell-like abilities somehow? Is there a way to increase the Svirfnebli (deep gnome)'s AC?

Sangband has spell resistance in as skill can learn and each race has a different leaning rate.

John

[Zireael]

*scratches head*

What do I need to look into the source code? Some special program...? Or would ConTEXT be enough?

If all Angband variants are written in the same language, porting a given feature from one variant to another should be easy.... or shouldn't it?



I played ZPlusAngband a moment ago. I like it, but the .txt files are different than in NPPAngband and I think it'd be easier to fork NPP Angband.

NPP Angband has no automatic opening doors (without typing 'o' every time, just arrows on the keyboard) which is annoying. And no low hp warning.

ZPlusAngband has the [U] Powers, whatever they are really called, and those could be useful for spell-like abilities.

-------------------------
That's all for thinking today. Tomorrow I'll mess around with NPP Angband's monster list, and in the meantime I'll be waiting for your opinions on the above.

I'm going to look at source code:
a) after I come back from holidays
b) when I know what to use to look at it

@ Therem Harth: That's true! I've got no stomach for programming anything, but I can be quite persistent when I want something to work!

BTW if you know how to do smth from my list or have the source code from the relevant variant, could you post the code here? I'm not saying that you have to work on something new, just what exists in some variant, show me what part of the code it is...

I'll credit the person who helped me in the readme for my variant.

[Therem Harth]

Originally Posted by Zireael

*scratches head*

What do I need to look into the source code? Some special program...? Or would ConTEXT be enough?

Text editor. Any text editor. If you're on Windows, the recommended one is probably Notepad++.

If all Angband variants are written in the same language, porting a given feature from one variant to another should be easy.... or shouldn't it?

If that were the case, I'd have my own full-featured variant by now.

Basically - and someone please correct me if I'm wrong - the sources of most Angband variants are not very modular. Say you have a function that you want to port from O to Vanilla so you can add a feature. This function may call other functions that work differently in O than in V; or use preprocessor macros or global variables defined who-knows-where.

(This happened with my recent failed attempt to port the V SDL interface to ToME. There's a lot of stuff that works differently in ToME than in V, or just plain doesn't exist in ToME. I probably could have pulled it off if I had a better understanding of SDL and programming in general, but yeah.)

NPP Angband has no automatic opening doors (without typing 'o' every time, just arrows on the keyboard) which is annoying. And no low hp warning.

Those should be in the options (the '=' key).

Re helping you out, unfortunately I'm about as much of a programmer as you, and also know next to nothing about D&D. I'd also advise you that, if you want to get software done right, it's probably best to do the work yourself (assuming you have the time).

[Derakon]

The source code is just text; however, you will need a compiler (a separate program) to turn that text into something that the computer can understand. Think of the compiler as a translator between a language that is fairly easy for humans to understand, and a language that the computer itself can understand. In this case the former language is C (i.e. Angband is written in C); the latter case is assembly code.

On Windows, your options for a compiler are Visual Studio and mingw.

[Antoine]

> I've got no stomach for programming anything

I suggest (amicably) that your best option is to find a personal friend who knows how to program and shares your vision for the game.

A.

[Zireael]

Originally Posted by Antoine

> I've got no stomach for programming anything

I suggest (amicably) that your best option is to find a personal friend who knows how to program and shares your vision for the game.

A.

Thanks. Two people offered to help with programming (elsewhere, not on Angband forums) before I worked out that I want an Angband variant and not a built-from-scratch roguelike. I'll have to ask them again.

@ Derakon, Therem Harth - Thanks.

[Zireael]

Some thoughts...

1. Some variants give you equipment upon start; some do not (Sangband, I'm looking at you!). I'd like to change the starting equipment slightly: you'd get the chainmail & a sword as you do in NPP or ZPlus; food rations, a torch, soft leather boots, soft leather gloves, and a container if it's possible. Is it doable?

2. Is it possible to make infravision work like the ZPlus's vampire vision?

3. What do you think about Sangband's 1.0.2 skills? Worth adding or not?