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[Help Wanted] ?reboot? of Level 1 NPCs mod


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#1 Azazello

Azazello

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Posted 27 April 2009 - 08:47 AM

Posted by: Azazello

Date posted: 27 April 2009

Looking for: individual or team of folks experienced, proficient in WeiDU (biggDU) coding/modding.

Details: Level 1 NPCs (L1NPC) mod was created as an extension of Gebhard Blucher?s alternate BG2 NPCs mod (filename: lvl1npcs.zip), both of which allow the default BG2 NPCs to use kits/classes different from their standard ones. For example, it is possible to make Minsc a Berserker (rather than default Ranger). More details can be gained from the ReadMe?s of each mod.

The idea of L1NPC ? i.e. allowing even more default NPCs, from both BG1 and BG2, to use even more kits/classes than provided in Blucher?s mod ? was initiated by myself, and later expanded together with cmorgan.
Nythrun volunteered to develop and maintain the code?s initial versions, and Miloch offered fixes and some oversight in later versions.

Due to Real Life issues, the mod has not had an active, dedicated code maintainer for many months.

I?m searching for a person or team who will be able to do a ?reboot? of the existing code: rebuild the mod from the ground-up, both in structure and code design, so that future modders and enthusiasts can fix or expand the code with little difficulty. We can consider Version 2 to be the new mod project.

Mod Development (proposed)

We will have many discussions on how to proceed with the mod. We can create a workroom thread at L1NPC?s host forum to expand on the ideas. The following are some initial thoughts to begin the new version. These can be modified, expanded ? or junked ? as needed.

Stage 1: extend all vanilla kits/classes to all default BG1/BG2 NPCs
- ensure that Imoen pre-/post Spellhold mod changes are maintained
- component to maintain Minsc?s Enrage innate no matter which kit/class change
- component to have Boo moved into Minsc?s inventory, or removed entirely from Minsc?s quickslot {original component from Blucher?s mod}

Stage 2: extend all custom kits/classes to all default BG1/BG2 NPCs

Stage 3: allow custom NPCs developers to include their NPCs into L1NPC

Challenges for all Stages
- How to handle assignment of Attribute, Proficiency and hitpoint stats of changed NPCs
- How to handle assignment of weapon/armor/special equipment of changed NPCs
- How/If to handle dialogue of changed NPCs

Project Philosophies
The Project will have some Philosophies that future contributors should be willing to accept:
  • The mod belongs to the Baldur?s Gate gaming community, not to any one person or even team. Thus the mod will never be called ?XYZ?s? or ?Jack Smith?s? Level 1 NPCs mod. Per current convention, the name of the mod begins with the forum website hosting the mod, then the mod?s actual name: G3 Level 1 NPCs mod
    ? and the mod should maintain this convention. If the mod is hosted on another forum website, its prefix will changed accordingly.

  • I will continue my role as a project contributor and overseer of the mod?s development (thus maintaining my duty as founder of the mod).
    I am not a modder or coder, so I promise to be very flexible and even defer to the developers about ?How? the mod should develop, but will be fairly strict about ?What? the mod is and how it should grow.

  • The new code must be designed, developed, and commented in a structure that contributors and future modders can easily understand and fix/modify.
    Probably the first lesson of Software Development 101 is that your code should be easy for other coders (and non-coders) to understand. Thus a standardized coding structure should be used, and the coder should be generous, very clear and concise in the use of Comments so that other coders know what the code blocks do. The goal is to make it easy to maintain and expand the mod, and to make it compatible with other mods.

  • Any development code must be maintained and stored on a source that is accessible to all of the project team.
    Too often, mod code is lost due to the local hard drive crash of a team contributor, or held in limbo when a contributor goes on a leave. Let?s avoid these scenarios. All development code will be stored either on the storage capacity of the forum host or on offline sites, and all project members will have access to the code. All code contributors will offload their current code updates to the storage site at least once per week.

  • Mod contributors may come and go as they like from the Project, without feeling of obligation or guilt, but they must give an announcement to the team.
    Real Life always takes precedence over any mod development, and we must be respectful of this. Contributors can feel free to move in or out of the project as need. All we ask is that they tell the team of their leave of absence, and roughly how long the leave may last. In this way, the project can continue with other members.
This list of Philosophies may expand in the future.

* Which time zone you're in (if it matters): {95% of my time} GMT +3.
* Deadlines for completion of any requested work: currently, None.
* Planned release date for the beta and/or the final mod: We release the next version whenever it?s ready. We have no timelines.

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Community Contributions
* Level 1 NPCs * gMinion: expanded TP2 for MegaInstalls * PSM (PSQM): expanded scripts for Melanthium * Shar Nadal (DSotSC-BGT) revision * non-detectable Cloak of Non-Detection ?? * Weimer's-Tactics: revised TP2 for MegaInstalls * a directory of Mega-Installation Guides *