What Tools can be developed to help world building?

[froglok23]

Suggestion: Adding Loot to a NPC application

An updated version of my original tool I wrote to add look to a NPC. Now I think we can make it more flexible and more powerful, eliminating any errors which come from doing it manually.

Suggestion: Adding of NPCs to zones

A tool, which allows you to create a NPC visually... maybe WC can help with this as to put support in to see visually how the NPC will look Could this also be combined with adding loot to the NPC?

Possibility just having a NPC Editing Application, which does everything for NPC's

Suggestion: Quest Writer application

Something sumular to what the SQL builder applications are. It would allow you to construct your quests, add in default event handles. Would also have a "syntax checker"


They just came to be

- froglok

[froglok23]

Well this will teach me for posting completly in the wrong section.

Seem that we already have a quest writer and NPC application. Sweet!

Id still like to here suggestions on what others we can have to life easier.

- froglok

[GeorgeS]

Hey Frog, one of the best tools I could imagine that have not been made is a visual map 2D, NPC spawn tool, similar to what you've described.

We would need how to take a zone, create a 2D top down view.
Then select a NPC, point to where you want to spawn it.
Grid/paths can be displayed as well if there's one.
Create grids/paths on the fly by mouse pointing around.

I know the S3D files contain geometry details and then there's the zoneconverter source code which is on my site.

I've debated on how to write this, but without x,y,z data, it's much harder. I.e working from a top down screen capture of the zone.


GeorgeS

[gernblan]

Anything that can get us into eqg files would be a big help.

Fixing azone would rock, also.

[gernblan]

IN other words... any of the tools out there that only work with 3sd files .. well, with Anniversarry support coming... we're all going to need some good zone tools that work with eqg files.

[John Adams]

I am a huge fan of GeorgeS' toolset... but one thing I do not like about them is the interface (sorry George ). The fact you cannot resize, and it requires all these ocx registers, and odbc drivers. I do not think an all-in-one tool is necessary, but what GeorgeS has already done is a great big help. His NPC Editor is pretty good, but putting all that info on the index line is hard to wrap your mind around. It should be a selectable list with a sub menu or modal window to work on the NPC. In all honestly, if someone could C# the PEQEditor (the web-based one), that would ROCK.

I also like Georges Quest Editor, with the built-in samples. But, I find myself using the other one (not Georges I think?). It is really nice - but the text area itself is horrid. I am not sure if it is because there is a word-wrap feature, but just moving the cursor around, copy/cut/paste, delete key or backspace, the cursor flies all over the line and starts deleting things you don't want gone. Also, the save/reload are iffy - though they work, they are sorta destructive (no "are you sure you want to toss out all your work without saving?" prompts).

Those are really the 2 tools I use the most (and I LIVE in PEQEditor.php). Then of course, there's the OpenZone stuff. But a single-source "suite" of applications to maintain everything? Shit yeah. Sign me up. I have made a request for other useful addons like dynamic (usable) server status export from the World/Zone itself... but a GUI server management app would also be nice.

Ok, there's a bunch of rambling in a not-so well thought out manner. Sorry, it's been a long day. If this becomes a reality, I'll be far more interested in giving specific details.

[Sakrateri]

A top down npc editor would be cool, the mapmaker in Openzone give you a picture of the map which includes polys and topography but besides in openzone I don't know how to view those maps. Anyway that would probably be the way to go , just have to ask WC if using that tool would be possible.