OK, so far we have:
1. BillyOgawa
2. Faceless
3. MaskedMan
4. Freddy
5. Earth Nuggets
6. Enigmatic
(Sorry carlstar, but I don't think you'll make a good proofreader.)
More people are welcome, of course. The more people we have, the faster we can finish this. For starters, all volunteers but BillyOgawa will get 20KB of text (BillyOgawa will get 40).
A bit about .dlg files. They're text files, so you can open them with any text editor. I'm using UltraEdit myself, so I can recommend it. Anyway, here are the basics of the format:
A line structure is
{N}{Text}{G}{I}{Test}{R}{Result}
where N is the number of the text line, and the remaining fields differ in meaning depending on whether the line is a PC and NPC response.
For a PC response,
{Text} is the text of the dialog message
{G} field is left empty if any gender can say it, 0 if only female PC’s can say it, and 1 if only male PC’s can say the line.
{I} is the minimum IQ (if negative, it’s the maximum IQ, and it CANNOT be zero)
{Test} contains tests to see if the PC can speak this line.
{R} is the response line (or if negative, it’s the script line to run if this response is chosen, or if zero, it means to return to the calling point in the associated script).
{Result} contains results which are triggered if the PC speaks this line. See the Result section below.
For an NPC response,
{Text} is the NPC response if the PC is male
{G} is the NPC response if the PC is female
{I} must be left empty
{Test} must be left empty
{R} is usually empty, but on a generated dialog line for an NPC, the R field may be filled in with a response line.
{Result} contains results which are triggered if the NPC speaks this line in dialog (but not if used as a float or barter or other message).
All of the lines following an NPC response, up to but not including the next NPC response, are the PC responses. For example:
{14}{Can I help you sir?}{Can I help you madam?}{}{}{}{}
{15}{Just looking...}{}{1}{}{20}{}
{16}{Do you have any swords?}{}{5}{}{30}{}
{17}{I am looking for a triply-lathed gold-gilded hilt with silver inlay}{}{13}{}{-15}{}
{20}{OK, let me know if you see anything.}{Call me if you need me.}{}{}{}{}
etc...
So line 14 is an NPC line, and lines 15, 16 and 17 are PC responses, and line 20 is another NPC response. If dialog jumps to line 14, the NPC will speak that line, and the PC will be given the choice of lines 15, 16, or 17.
Note that line 17 calls -15 when selected by the player, which refers to the calling script’s line 15. That line will check the NPC’s reaction to the PC and then call back into the dialog tree accordingly.
The most used generated lines (go in the text field):
Greeting – {G:<params>} creates a greeting based on several tests.
Appreciate – {A:} for the PC. Generates an appreciation (or “thank you”) response based on the NPC’s class.
Bartering/Gambling – {B:} for the PC. Some line which accesses the barter screen (gamble is a button there, right?).
Check story state – {C:} for the PC. The PC will ask a question appropriate to the current story state, and the NPC will respond based on the story state and the NPC’s race. Dialog then continues at the response line.
Exit – {E:} for the PC. some response like Bye, or See you later.
Forget it – {F:} for the PC.
Healing – {H:} for the PC. He will ask for healing, and the NPC will respond with any appropriate skill or spell offerings.
asK questions – {K:} for the PC. He will ask for permission to ask questions.
No – {N:} for the PC. Generates a negative (or “no”) response.
Sorry – {S:} for the PC. Generates a “sorry” response.
Training – {T: number list} for the PC. Responses like “Can you train me?” or “I’d like to receive beginner training.” which lead to “Sure. That’ll be 100 coins” and the setting of the training level.
Who are you? – {W:} for the PC. He will ask the NPC who he is.
Yes – {Y:} for the PC. Generates an affirmative (or “yes”) response.
Insult – {I:} for the PC and NPC. For the PC, it will generate an insult based on the NPC’s class. If angered enough, the NPC will respond with an insult on the PC’s race and terminate dialog. For the NPC, it will generate an insult based on the PC’s race.
Rumors – {R: $,number list} for the PC and NPC. For the PC, it generates a line (based on NPC class) leading to the NPC rumor line. The NPC line is how much he asks for (can be $0) and what rumors he knows.
Anyway, don't be afraid, just read the text, you're hunting typos, not bugs. Be sure to pay attention to female lines and overall consistency in using American English.
Thanks in advance to all volunteers.
). I get the impression that these fixes are relatively easy, and it would be nice to get it out of the way.
Actually, it were your reports that inspired the idea.
