Action Plan: Waterdeep

[Lirith]

I'm more than happy to share the shops with Peffercorn.

I also had a thought, that while we're doing them, we might as well do the shopkeepers/building NPCs at the same time, so you can put at least me down for that. I'm not going to volunteer Peff for it unless he wants to.

[Peverell]

Totally happy to work on the shop NPCs at the same time as Lir

[Gwain]

When we submit, should we pm or create a new thread in the discussion forum? I ask because I worry about giving away too much ic information. Like directions and positions of places etc.

[Mele]

Could I work on Sune's temple a bit, Ed? Just add a couple of rooms, pretty it up a bit?

Also, is there anything else that is missing that you need help with?

Sune's temple is done. Katie worked on it. It's only missing art submissions.

[Lathlain]

If it's appropriate, I'd like you all to create new threads in this forum when you've finished. If it's not appropriate to post it publically, or if you'd really rather not, please send it to me in a PM and I'll make sure it finds its right home when I put it all together.

And Lerytha - I'm afraid Sune's temple has been hit

On that topic - rooms that have been recently redescribed or simply don't require redescribing are probably best left out of your submissions altogether. I don't like having to choose between two perfectly good descriptions!

[Larethiel]

The rooms already worked on are usually discernable by color codes in their descs

[Gwain]

The city of the Dead has a lot of rooms with similar descriptions. If we give you the coordinates in relation to rooms around them will that be enough to separate them and target the correct vnums? Also is it preferable to add physical items to the room or should we add them as part of room descriptions. If we can add items how many vnums are we limited to? Items I mean as furniture.

[Pirro]

I'll start small and take the Fighter's Guild.

[Langley]

I'd like to start with North Ward street descriptions.

[Lathlain]

The city of the Dead has a lot of rooms with similar descriptions. If we give you the coordinates in relation to rooms around them will that be enough to separate them and target the correct vnums?

A very good point Gwain!

Coordinates and directions are fine - and if you work through them west to east, and/or north to south that'd make things a little easier too! I'm ultimately expecting a lot of room descriptions to be very similar in content , and if they have the same room name and general description content too, I'll just go on what's in the description as to where best they fit.

The subject of objects in rooms also brings up a good point. I would much rather not create a new object to put in a room (due to vnum restraints), but to use extra descriptions instead. For those not in the know, an extra description is when you assign a couple of keywords that you can look at to see. For example if a room has a park bench in the description, you can use the words 'park' and 'bench' as part of an extra description, and then attach a description of a park bench to them. Feel free to do this for added flavour!

On the topic of vnums though - I can't immediately see how many spare vnums are left in Waterdeep and its regions, though I will try to find out before the end of this. For the purpose of this exercise I'm afraid we'll have to assume there are no spare vnums for objects, but you can bet that we'll be using a few of them at the end if there are some after all

[Harroghty]

To back up Lathlain on this one:

Extra descriptions can be paired with intercept programs in some cases to create the same effect as another object.

An example of this would be a bench in a room. You could describe the bench in the room's long description, then add an extra line about it with maybe an OOC note that players could sit in it...

Code: Select all

E
bench~
This wooden bench's paint is chipping off in flakes and the nails that keep it together are rusted over.
~

And then...

Code: Select all

>intercept_prog sit~
if inroom($n) == room VNUM here
  if ispc($n)
    mpecho $N relaxes on a bench.
    mpforce $n pose sitting on a bench
    mpunintercept
  endif
endif
~

This may be too much information (or too little, you could go into more detail with this), but I hope only to reinforce Lathlain's point and not to derail his very worthy project! (The links above are to the pertinent lessons.)

[Lathlain]

Thanks Harroghty - you're dead right, I'd completely forgotten about that!

The bottom line is that if anyone wants new furniture and isn't sure what to do, make a description for it and let me know that it's there. If you want it to be something you can sit or lie on as well, be sure to include that too.

[Elke]

Thanks for the links as well, I'd been looking for those!

[Dalvyn]

Re: extra descriptions.

I *think* that it will be possible to add those when you edit room descriptions. (but not extra programs though)

I much prefer using extra descriptions to adding objects.

Re: intercept_prog

For objects with simple and standard interactions (like benches/beds), it's easier to set them as objects (correctly set TYPE_FURNITURE objects do not need any additional programs: they will automatically intercept sit and other similar keywords). At some point, it would be possible to add a few standard items and place them in some rooms (i.e., a specific bench object used in several rooms in Waterdeep or so for example).

[Dalvyn]

When you have a first batch of modifications to commit to the file, we can set a date and time to get together on the test port and work on it. Ed or I will tell you how to proceed with it and edit the room descriptions directly on the test port.

That will also let us see how to proceed exactly for mob descriptions.

Best day/time for me is Saturday evening European time (so Saturday afternoon for the USA), but I'll let Ed work out the details if he's fine with that. We could start with a 1, 1.5 or 2 hour session and see where that leads us? (Eventually, it can possibly be made into a bimonthly event or so).

[Glim]

I see Waterdeep Temple of the Gods is still open? I will work on it if that is ok.

[Lathlain]

I'm sorry Glim - the temple was taken already, but I'd completely forgotten to mark it as assigned!

[Glim]

That's fine

[Pirro]

Is it okay to take some liberties with layout?

Specifically: I've always found the Fighters' Guild layout kind of weird, since it's wider on the upper levels than at the entrance. I'd like to replace "A stone stairway" with "A path up a hill" or something, and rename the rooms on the upper level to be small buildings arranged around the hilltop.

And on a closely related note, is it okay to change the names of rooms, or can we only change the descriptions?

[Melusine]

Sorry for replying so late

I'd like to look at NPCs inside of buildings, if it hasn't been taken yet, which it appears it hasn't??