Think NPCs are dumb? Click here!

[Caarrie]

Could we, the great unwashed programming-illiterate masses, submit directly the code necessary to make our favorite NPC as verbose as anyone might wish? What language is it in (French? German?  ...) and how much effort would it take to learn just the bits to write NPC responses?

no you cant do that as the info that are part of npcs, quests and art are not under the open source CODE license. but if you wish to help npcs learn more you can add info to a thread like this one or apply to the settings team.

[Rizin]

Hey, all. I think this is my first trip outside the whining- sorry, tech support forums. (For the record, I solved my last problem completely on my own, thank you very much. ) I hesitate to offer my two cents on this issue, especially seeing how the last suggestion was taken ( ). But anyway, here goes...

Planeshift is an open source game, no? Therefore, anyone can delve into the murky depths of the code and tinker around to their heart's content, right? Could we, the great unwashed programming-illiterate masses, submit directly the code necessary to make our favorite NPC as verbose as anyone might wish? What language is it in (French? German?  ...) and how much effort would it take to learn just the bits to write NPC responses? Obviously, the devs would have to give a submitter the green light both before and after submission, and the actual insertion and editing would be done by them. But I think this is an annoying enough issue that we the players want it resolved as quickly as possible, and lots of us, I think, would be more than willing to lend a hand to make this game more fun.

Don't get me wrong here. I'm not actually volunteering or anything ... yet. But, given the vast number of idle players and contributors lurking this forum, I'm sure we could get together enough enough material to crush a Kran. So, rather than post lists, we could post code ... Anyway, that's my idea.

At this time Settings really does not support a contribution department. It is much less work for us to have those interested on the team rather than reviewing the responses of many people of varying quality/capability. This thread, and it's counterparts, don't actually write the responses, just offer suggestions for what is missing and give us an opportunity to see what the gaps are and where our players are exploring. There are a lot of concerns to writing for an NPC and we prefer those jobs are handled by those within settings.

[Inquit]

I've been quoted! Twice! 

Ah, well. It just gets so frustrating not being able to do much. I'll just have to see where else I can go to kibitz... You haven't seen the last of me. 

[Rizin]

I've been quoted! Twice! 

Ah, well. It just gets so frustrating not being able to do much. I'll just have to see where else I can go to kibitz... You haven't seen the last of me. 

Three times...

Hmm...where else can you go?? Why not here?

[Inquit]

I'd love to join. I really would. But my experience doesn't amount to a hill of beans, and until I have some idea what I'm doing I'd only get in your way. Just like I'm doing now... It strikes me how silly it must look, a noob like me trying to tell all you people what to do.    Okay, enough with the self-denigration. If any of you could point me in the direction of a good programming primer or some such, it'd be much appreciated and you might even see me back here in a few years. Otherwise I'll just get out from under your feet and stop hijacking this thread.

[Caarrie]

I'd love to join. I really would. But my experience doesn't amount to a hill of beans, and until I have some idea what I'm doing I'd only get in your way. Just like I'm doing now... It strikes me how silly it must look, a noob like me trying to tell all you people what to do.    Okay, enough with the self-denigration. If any of you could point me in the direction of a good programming primer or some such, it'd be much appreciated and you might even see me back here in a few years. Otherwise I'll just get out from under your feet and stop hijacking this thread.

there is more to the "team" then just coding, there are artists in the art dept, writers in the settings dept, and so on so if you have _any_ skills and want to donate them check the recruitment page for more info

[neko kyouran]

time I added something here....

i asked every single npc in the game who was the most well known name in all of the world was, and they didn't respond back with my characters name.

this should be fixed IMO.

[MrRedwood]

Barrin Dhorod is frustrating during a quest. (U) for unanswered, (A) for answered and (I) for improperly.

U   about experimental blade [Note the unfortunate use of *correct* grammar]
A   about experiment blade [the incorrect grammar used originally by Harnquist]
U   give me experiment blade
U   give me experimental blade
U   harnquist sent me

The "give me" and "harnquist sent me" are somewhat understandable, but in real speech would probably trigger some more specific response than "I don't understand you, sorry." But the use of improper grammar (nouns cannot modify other nouns; the correct word must be the adjective) in the original NPC statement made this a nasty puzzle in a way that contributes nothing to the game.

[LigH]

@ MrRedwood:

This reply is possibly too specific, too much related to a quest - close to a spoiler even.

The bugtracker would probably be a better place for this content (including a request to make it confidental). And maybe a PM to Rizin as well.

[MrRedwood]

Well, I tried to follow the style I'd seen in previous posts in this thread, starting at here.

Given what the original post asked for -- successful and unsuccessful queries to NPCs -- I don't see how this could be too much less of a spoiler, though. Of course, that was Jeraphon almost two years ago -- is that still the right person to PM, or is it Rizin? Grammar problems aren't really any more of a bug than any other textual alteration, I would think.

And I can't PM anyone yet  -- still fewer than 10 posts, although I think I only have one or two more. But who to PM with this stuff?

[LigH]

Queries to NPCs - yes. But preferably not related to a quest, instead rather to "casual topics", because quests are (a) technically a different issue, and (b) a sensitive issue regarding public presentation of their content.

I caught Rizin...

[MrRedwood]

Well, I didn't post anything that would inform someone about where the quest originated, or even how that quest would end up at the two NPCs I mentioned, so I don't think it actually gives anything away.

The (undisclosed) quest-originating NPC explicitly tells the questor to go to Harnquist, so that isn't a give-away; and Harnquist explicitly states the next step, including the grammatical mistake.

I understand the point about not giving away quests, and I think I was adequately cautious here.

[Lanarel]

A good way to get problems in quests to the attention of the correct people, is to make a bug report here. If you have to add spoiling information, just open a report without the info and ask it to be set private. When that is done, you and all people needing to can see it, and you can add the info in a comment (which we can copy to the details).

[Roled]

Greetings, MrRedWood~
I feel fer ye, I do, with the communication problem with this arrogant Magician. Alas, no one in Yliakum could help me either, 'til final I stumbled upon the solution.

Here be a non-spoiler hint, I hope. Look careful at what that ole magician do say to ye. There be a word therein used that be not used correct in American English nor in British-English. Evident, the mage knows not how to speak the king's tongue.
Yers,
Roled

[LigH]

Rabartus Livrandar does not understand "Bye" and replies with typical "not understood" answers (e.g. "Get your words straight, will you? You're speaking gibberish.").