Exult Forum

Okay, thanks to wizardry dragon's Usecode documentation I decided I was gonna finally try adding my own custom scripts, and so I tried making a conversation with a brand spanking new NPC.

Well, when I doulbe click on the npc I, their portrait pops up, and their greeting words, thats it. I dont get any convarsions options, and then when i click the conversation just ends.

I also tried just giving it the example NPC conversation used in Wizardry Dragon's documentation. It does the same thing.

Currently Running:
Exult 1.1.11cvs for windows on Windows 2000 Server

If you show me the usecode, I could probably help you out. It's probably a coding error. The code in the example is lifted straight from a working NPC though, curious.

I can try the Usecode on my machine and see if it works. If so, it may just be a bug in the snapshot.

(BTW, make sure you always have the braces "{" right, because the compiler doesn't always pick up on that)

- Wizardry Dragon

It must be something on my end, cause i just dropped it down to 1.1.10, change an NPC's usecode to 0x564, using the exact code from your document, and the only thing i get when i double click on the NPC is there portrait and them saying "Hello! How may I help you?"

Anyone got any idea on what could cause this odd error.

I think I know.

What is the NPC number you're working with?

- Wizardry Dragon

0xcd, but that shouldnt matter, I already know about the Usecode to NPC # rule, but I'm not resetting.

i can grab any existing NPCs Usecode and put it to the NPC and it works just fine.

Just to be safe make the Usecode number 0x4cd () and see if that works. Other wise, it's either a compile problem or an Exult Studio problem then.

- Wizardry Dragon

still a no go

Okay, well then, it's the compiler or Exult itself.

What snapshot are you using? Today's?

all I ever use are the binary snapshots, when i originally posted I was using the once thats currently up from April, 15th that put the code up to version 1.1.11. Right now I'm using one from i beleive late feb or early march, that puts it up to 1.1.10. I'm going to laugh my ass of if its win2k, cause everything else works just fine. Gonna pull out my laptop with win98 and set it up to try.

Tell me how that works out.
Always try to use the most up to date snapshot you can, though.

- Wizardry Dragon

Hehe, reading through the old messages is see you yourself are fimiliar with being in my sort of situation. Its nice to know I'm being helped by someone who knows the frustrations of having what appears to be a very localised problem.

Off topic and out of curiousity while i wait for things to transfer over to laptop, are you working on a full world conversion or new world, cause if so it's always cool to see other people also trying to accomplish such a giant task.

I'm making an addon, pretty much actually adding all of these "what-ifs" I had going in my mind through the series.

- Wizardry Dragon

Arg, it still doesnt work, something hates and was so evil it decided to wait to mess with my ultima plans till i got to the point where i needed to start scripting.

Well, I think it may be a problem with Exult Studio, but unfortunately I'm not much help with that. The best person to ask would be Dominus.

He's going to love me for saying that, I just know

- Wizardry Dragon

hmm, well i just compared my compile of the example usecode from the the documention to the already compiled version. Mine ends up missing bits here and there and ends up being nearl a KB smaller. has the compiler changed at all since that example was put up there ages ago?

My documentation? It's not even a week old yet, lol
It may be a compiler problem then, in which place I'd reccomend ensuring you have the newest version. If you do, then I'd have to refer you to Dr. Code.

Sorry I can't be of more help, but the code is my focus, not the tools.

- Wizardry Dragon

sorry i should have clarified, for that last bit I compared the old example program that is linked in the Exult Studio Documentation. and when i compiled from the same source my file was missing bits, more specifically bits that matched the conversation option titles by the look of it. almost a KB worth.

Actually, now that i think of it, could you send me a compiled version of your coding example so i can see if it did the same thing. murdlock@otakumail.com

My project's current usecode and source is pseudo-regularaly updated here:

http://www.crpgn.org/example_uc.zip

Enjoy

- Wizardry Dragon

I think the best would be if you (Mighty Dog) either copy/paste your usecode here or send it to Wizardry or even me (though I'm not really that good in the scripting, contrary to Wiz' claim I could help ). If there are any problems in the script we might see them.

The reason I suggested you Dom was that I think this is a problem with Exult Studio rather than the usecode itself.

It would help to see the code, however

- Wizardry Dragon

I doubt it's a problem with ES. When your new NPCs work, then others new NPCs should work as well.

I stopped trying to make it work with my own created usecode a while ago, I've only been using the other publicly available usecode mentioned in this thread: The example set from the Exult Studio Documentation, The example usecode in wizardry dragons usecode documentation, and wizardry dragons current usecode that he's using. All have the same results.

To follow up on the compiler size differance i got no differance when i tried compiling wizardry dragons current usecode.

The last thing i can think of to make absolutly sure it isnt just some messed up thing on my computer is to have someone who is successfully compiling, compile and send me a copy with usecode set for 0x4cd.

Dominus, if you don't mind doing me a favour, could you download the zip I posted above and see if the usecode works on your machine as well?

May just be my machine is the only one it works on, for whatever reason.

- Wizardry Dragon

Wizardry: your usecode works fine for me.

Okay, thanks wjp. I was starting to wonder there

It's probably your coding then, Mighty Dog. If you were to post your code I can take a look at it.

- Wizardry Dragon

if i'm using your exact code, then you already have my coding

as I said without us first looking at the code (YOUR code) it makes no sense trying to find out what's wrong. The first step is to make sure there is nothing wrong with the code and we can't do that first step unless we can look at that code.

Just to ensure everyone is on the same page here. I deleted the code i had typed. I have tried using the previously mentioned available usecodes, altering only the number for the first conversation in them to match a generic NPC I created, and then compiling them. After Compile and restarting exult (i dont like the reload usecode command, old habbits i guess) upon double clicking the npc, their portrait is displayed (if i bother to change it seeing as to how it get blanked out on restart) and their Greeting, no conversation options are displayed, and when i click the conversation ends.

I am currently using Exult 1.1.11 but have also tried it with 1.1.10
The latest Exult Studio Download, but also was tried the previous one
The latest Win32 Tools
Also I am doing this to Serpent Isle with the Silver Seed addon

I get the same results on both my Win2k Server machine and my Win98SE machine.

The last thing i can think of trying to make sure that somehow all my machines aren't messed is for someone who has sucessfully compiled and implimented usecode, to compile a basic convesation for 0x4cd () and send it to me. If that doesnt work then something in my machines is utterly fubar.

Or the compiler in the current Win32 Tools is messed (i highly doubt that)

And to make on last reiteration, THERE IS NO MY CODE, you can get the same exact code from, http://exult.info/snapshots/patch.zip which is linked in the Exult Studio Documentation, http://crpgn.org/ucc_doc.txt using the full code example from WD's new document, or http://www.crpgn.org/example_uc.zip which is WD's current usecode for his project. All i have done to any of these is change the number of the first conversation from what it is to 0x4cd so that it functions with npc # 0xcd.

> Also I am doing this to Serpent Isle with the Silver Seed addon

To compile usecode for SI, you'll have to pass the '-s' flag to ucc.

Yep, wish that had been written somewhere, would have saved almost a day of brain hurting

Glad it is figured out now.
Problem with usecode scripting was and still is documentation. I didn't even know about the -s option (and ucc is awfully silent on any help ).

ucc option list:

-o
write output to

-I
add to the include path

-s
compile for SI

This is why Dominus states in one of the posts stickied at the top of the form, that when posting a problem, specify what version of the game you're using

- Wizardry Dragon

Glad you're making progress. Don't forget the wierd rule that U7 uses: If the NPC # is 0-255, it's usecode function is always 0x400 + n, regardless of what you tried to set in Exult Studio. If the # is 256 or higher, you can use any function # you want. Recent (within a week) versions of ES should enforce this.

Also, if you try creating a completely new game (not modifying BG or SI), the game will assume that you're using the BG intrinsics, which means you'd have to compile without the "-s" flag. This is something I'll want to fix.

Maybe for ucc, forcing the presence of a u7 version or barf if not present.
For instance:

$ ./ucc
Missing game version!
Usage: ./ucc [-I includefile] [-o outputfile]

Artaxerxes

Or maybe have a directive that goes in the source file, like:
#game BLACK_GATE

Also, it might make sense for completely new games to always use the SERPENT_ISLE intrinsics.

because it is more complete?

Artaxerxes

Yeah.

It would also be nice if the INCLUDE directive worked. It doesn't.

- Wizardry Dragon

Artaxerxes: Yes. I'm pretty sure SI's intrinsics are a superset of BG's.

Wizardry: How does it ("#include") fail?

It just ... doesn't include the files.
On the other hand, I end up with a really nice and small Usecode file

Specifically, if I rebuild the Usecode in the manner that it uses Includes, and then hit "Reload >> Usecode", it doesn't reload. Reloading the game doesn't help either.

It's not throwing errors, so I'm at a loss for further description, sorry.

- Wizardry Dragon

I think you want to tell it to recompile. Reload assumes you already recompiled it. Under Linux, it will automatically reload if the compile is successful, but that might not be working under Windows.

I do, via the command line. I use the following commands:

delete usecode
ucc usecode.uc
rename usecode.uco usecode

- Wizardry Dragon