Specialized Edges (Savage) - Revision history

Rob: /* The "Expert" and "Master" Edges */

2009-02-02T12:47:28Z

The "Expert" and "Master" Edges

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:47, 2 February 2009
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	Adding the "Expert" and "Master" edges at this point is quite easy. We'll use the exact same logic from the "Professional" edge, except for a few important tweaks.		Adding the "Expert" and "Master" edges at this point is quite easy. We'll use the exact same logic from the "Professional" edge, except for a few important tweaks.

			The first change is to the tag expression within "usrCandad1" field. Since the "Expert" edge requires the "Professional" edge already be selected for the trait, we need to verify that is the case. This is done by adding a suitable term to the tag expression that checks for the "Duplicate.Profession" tag. However, we can also assume that having this tag implies that the trait is also at a d12 rating, so we can drop that requirement because it is implied. In fact, if a pick has the "Duplicate.Profession" tag, it must also be a valid trait, so we don't have to check that condition either. This leaves us with the simple requirement that the pick possess the one tag. For the "Master" edge, the same logic applies, so we only need to check for the lone "Duplicate" tag on each. The two field values end up as shown below.

			<pre>
			<fieldval field="usrCandid1" value="Duplicate.Profession"/>

			<fieldval field="usrCandid1" value="Duplicate.Expert"/>
			</pre>

			The second change is within the Eval script that confers the bonus. The explanation for the "modify" target reference should be changed to identify the appropriate edge by name. In addition, the appropriate "Duplicate" tag should be assigned for the edge. The revised Eval script for the "Expert" edge is shown below.

			<pre>
			<eval index="1" phase="PreTraits" priority="5000">
			<before name="Calc trtFinal"/><![CDATA[
			if (field[usrChosen1].ischosen <> 0) then
			perform field[usrChosen1].chosen.field[trtRoll].modify[+,1,"Expert"]
			perform field[usrChosen1].chosen.assign[Duplicate.Expert]
			endif
			]]></eval>
			</pre>

			There remain two final changes within the pre-requisite test. The first is within the logic used for things, wherein we can make the same assumptions about dependencies that we made above. If a trait has the "Duplicate.Profession" tag, we assume it's a valid trait, so the "foreach" statement changes to incorporate the alternate requirements, as shown below for the "Expert" edge.

			<pre>
			foreach pick in hero where "Duplicate.Profession & !Duplicate.Expert"
			</pre>

			When validating a pick, we need to verify both the die-type rating and the presence of the lesser edge that is depended upon. In the case of the "Expert" edge, we need to add an additional qualification, as shown in the revised code block below.

			<pre>
			if (altpick.field[usrChosen1].chosen.field[trtFinal].value >= 6) then
			if (altpick.field[usrChosen1].chosen.tagis[Duplicate.Profession] <> 0) then
			@valid = 1
			done
			endif
			endif
			</pre>

			As long as all the equivalent changes are applied to the "Master" edge, both edges should behave exactly as they should, with all the proper dependencies and conferring the proper bonuses.

Rob: /* The "Professional" Edge */

2009-02-02T12:28:29Z

The "Professional" Edge

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:28, 2 February 2009
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	We can now shift our focus to the "Professional" edge. For this edge, we need to show a menu from which the user can select a trait. We'll use the same basic approach as we used for the "Scholar" edge.		We can now shift our focus to the "Professional" edge. For this edge, we need to show a menu from which the user can select a trait. We'll use the same basic approach as we used for the "Scholar" edge.

			====Fields and Tags====

	The first thing we need to do is determine what we want to show in the menu. In this case, the user can select an attribute or skill, but we only want skills that the user has added to the character. This means we'll specify the "ChooseSrc1.Hero" tag. We only need a single menu, so we can ignore adding a second tag.		The first thing we need to do is determine what we want to show in the menu. In this case, the user can select an attribute or skill, but we only want skills that the user has added to the character. This means we'll specify the "ChooseSrc1.Hero" tag. We only need a single menu, so we can ignore adding a second tag.
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	<tag group="ChooseSrc1" tag="Hero"/>		<tag group="ChooseSrc1" tag="Hero"/>
	</pre>		</pre>

			====Confer the Bonus====

	The next step is to confer the "+1" bonus to the selected trait. We'll use an Eval script to accomplish this, just like we did for the "Scholar" edge. The new script should look like below.		The next step is to confer the "+1" bonus to the selected trait. We'll use an Eval script to accomplish this, just like we did for the "Scholar" edge. The new script should look like below.
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	]]></eval>		]]></eval>
	</pre>		</pre>

			====The Pre-Requisite====

	The pre-requisite for the "Professional" edge will also work a lot like the one for "Scholar". When testing a thing, we need to make sure that at least one trait exists with a d12 rating. When testing a pick, we need to make sure that any selected trait still has a d12 rating. The resulting Validate script for the pre-requisite should look like the following.		The pre-requisite for the "Professional" edge will also work a lot like the one for "Scholar". When testing a thing, we need to make sure that at least one trait exists with a d12 rating. When testing a pick, we need to make sure that any selected trait still has a d12 rating. The resulting Validate script for the pre-requisite should look like the following.
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	</prereq>		</prereq>
	</pre>		</pre>

			====Detect Duplicates====

	The final task is to detect duplicates. The "Professional" edge can be selected multiple times, but a different trait must be selected every time. In order to verify this, we need to compare separate edges. One solution would be to use a "foreach" loop to scan all of the "Professional" edges and build up a list of all the selected traits, then identify any duplicates. That's a fair amount of work, and it will be even more work when we need to do the same thing for the "Expert" and "Master" edges in moment. Fortunately, there's a much easier solution we can use.		The final task is to detect duplicates. The "Professional" edge can be selected multiple times, but a different trait must be selected every time. In order to verify this, we need to compare separate edges. One solution would be to use a "foreach" loop to scan all of the "Professional" edges and build up a list of all the selected traits, then identify any duplicates. That's a fair amount of work, and it will be even more work when we need to do the same thing for the "Expert" and "Master" edges in moment. Fortunately, there's a much easier solution we can use.
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	The above technique easily extends to the "Expert" and "Master" edges. If the trait is selected for both "Professional" and "Expert", it will have two "Duplicate" tags. However, both of those tags will be unique, so the Eval Rule will report all is well. If the trait is selected by another "Expert" edge, it will gain another tag that will not be unique and the validation error will be reported.		The above technique easily extends to the "Expert" and "Master" edges. If the trait is selected for both "Professional" and "Expert", it will have two "Duplicate" tags. However, both of those tags will be unique, so the Eval Rule will report all is well. If the trait is selected by another "Expert" edge, it will gain another tag that will not be unique and the validation error will be reported.

			====Avoiding Duplicates====

			The logic above allows us to detect duplicate selections and report them as errors. It also affords us the chance to avoid duplicates during the selection of edges. Every traits that is selected by the edge is now assigned a "Duplicate" tag. We can test that condition and only show the edge as valid for selection if there are any candidate traits that don't already have the "Duplicate" tag. We can accomplish this by amending the tag expression used within the "foreach" statement in the Validate script to look like the following.

			<pre>
			foreach pick in hero where "(component.Attribute \| component.Skill) & !Duplicate.Profession"
			</pre>

			In other words, if there is one trait at d12, the "Professional" edge will appear as valid in the list of edges. Once the edge is added and that one trait selected, the edge will then appear as invalid within the list of edges. If another trait reaches the d12 rating, the edge will appear as valid again. This helps to avoid situations with duplicate selections, since the user will be warned before actually adding the edge.

	===The "Expert" and "Master" Edges===		===The "Expert" and "Master" Edges===

	Adding the "Expert" and "Master" edges at this point is quite easy. We'll use the exact same logic from the "Professional" edge, except for a few important tweaks.		Adding the "Expert" and "Master" edges at this point is quite easy. We'll use the exact same logic from the "Professional" edge, except for a few important tweaks.

Rob: /* The "Expert" and "Master" Edges */

2009-02-02T12:20:04Z

The "Expert" and "Master" Edges

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:20, 2 February 2009
Line 369:		Line 369:

	===The "Expert" and "Master" Edges===		===The "Expert" and "Master" Edges===

			Adding the "Expert" and "Master" edges at this point is quite easy. We'll use the exact same logic from the "Professional" edge, except for a few important tweaks.

Rob: /* The "Professional" Edge */

2009-02-02T12:15:39Z

The "Professional" Edge

@@ Line 280: / Line 280: @@
 ===The "Professional" Edge===
-We can now shift our focus to the "Professional" edge.
+We can now shift our focus to the "Professional" edge. For this edge, we need to show a menu from which the user can select a trait. We'll use the same basic approach as we used for the "Scholar" edge.
--identifying traits
+The first thing we need to do is determine what we want to show in the menu. In this case, the user can select an attribute or skill, but we only want skills that the user has added to the character. This means we'll specify the "ChooseSrc1.Hero" tag. We only need a single menu, so we can ignore adding a second tag.
--fields and tags
--conferring +1 bonus
+Our menu needs to show traits with a minimum die-type rating of d12. Only attributes and skills can possess a die-type rating, so that means we need to include those two types of traits in the menu. We can test the field value to verify the die-type using the same technique we used for the previous edge. This results in the following field value and tag being assigned to the thing.
 -pre-requisite
--detecting duplicates
+<pre>
 ===The "Expert" and "Master" Edges===

Rob: /* The "Professional" Edge */

2009-02-02T11:24:00Z

The "Professional" Edge

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:24, 2 February 2009
Line 279:		Line 279:

	===The "Professional" Edge===		===The "Professional" Edge===

			We can now shift our focus to the "Professional" edge.

			-identifying traits
			-fields and tags
			-conferring +1 bonus
			-pre-requisite
			-detecting duplicates

	===The "Expert" and "Master" Edges===		===The "Expert" and "Master" Edges===

Rob: /* Safeguarding Against Duplicate Skills */

2009-02-02T10:44:08Z

Safeguarding Against Duplicate Skills

@@ Line 263: / Line 263: @@
 ====Safeguarding Against Duplicate Skills====
 ===The "Professional" Edge===
 ===The "Expert" and "Master" Edges===

Rob: /* Custom Name */

2009-02-02T10:17:10Z

Custom Name

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:17, 2 February 2009
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	====Custom Name====		====Custom Name====

			The menus are appearing properly and listing the correct skills. However, once we select skills for the edge, the name being synthesized is very unwieldy. By default, the "UserSelect" component is automatically integrating the menu selections into the name. This includes the "Knowledge" skill name, which takes up lots of room and is implied by the nature of the edge.

			What we really need is a more appropriate name for our edge. Ideally, the name should just list the domains assigned to each of the "Knowledge" skills. We can accomplish this if we generate a custom name. To do that, we first have to tell the "UserSelect" component to not generate a name for us. This requires that we assign the "User.NoAutoName" tag to the thing.

			<pre>
			<tag group="User" tag="NoAutoName"/>
			</pre>

			We can now generate our own custom name through the use of an Eval script. If nothing is chosen from either menu, we'll include an indication that something needs to be chosen. Otherwise, we'll append only the domain names for each of the skills selected for the edge. The resulting Eval script should look like the one below.

			<pre>
			<eval index="2" phase="Render" priority="5000"><![CDATA[
			~determine the text to append to the name
			var choices as string
			if (field[usrChosen1].ischosen <> 0) then
			choices = field[usrChosen1].chosen.field[domDomain].text
			else
			choices = "-Choose-"
			endif
			if (field[usrChosen2].ischosen <> 0) then
			choices &= ", " & field[usrChosen2].chosen.field[domDomain].text
			endif

			~add the selection to both the livename and shortname (if present) fields
			field[livename].text = field[thingname].text & ": " & choices
			if (tagis[component.shortname] <> 0) then
			field[shortname].text &= " (" & choices & ")"
			endif
			]]></eval>
			</pre>

	====Safeguarding Against Duplicate Skills====		====Safeguarding Against Duplicate Skills====

Rob: /* Assigning Bonuses to Selected Skills */

2009-02-02T10:09:25Z

Assigning Bonuses to Selected Skills

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:09, 2 February 2009
Line 213:		Line 213:

	====Assigning Bonuses to Selected Skills====		====Assigning Bonuses to Selected Skills====

			Our skills are now being properly selected and we can access those skills via scripts. This means that we can now automatically assign the "+2" bonus to each of those skills. We can use the "ischosen" target reference to determine if a menu has something selected. Each menu with a chosen item contains a skill that can then be accessed via the "chosen" transition. We can write a simple Eval script that applies the bonus to the selected skills, and it should look like the following.

			<pre>
			<eval index="1" phase="PreTraits" priority="5000">
			<before name="Calc trtFinal"/><![CDATA[
			~apply the +2 modifier to each selected skill
			if (field[usrChosen1].ischosen <> 0) then
			perform field[usrChosen1].chosen.field[trtRoll].modify[+,2,"Scholar"]
			endif
			if (field[usrChosen2].ischosen <> 0) then
			perform field[usrChosen2].chosen.field[trtRoll].modify[+,2,"Scholar"]
			endif
			]]></eval>
			</pre>

	====Custom Name====		====Custom Name====

Rob: /* The "Scholar" Edge */

2009-02-02T10:04:02Z

The "Scholar" Edge

@@ Line 147: / Line 147: @@
 It's time for us to actually define one of our special edges. We'll start with the "Scholar" edge.
-====Hooking Up Fields====
+====Hooking Up User-Selection====
 ====Revising the Pre-Requisites====
 ====Assigning Bonuses to Selected Skills====

Rob: /* The "Scholar" Edge */

2009-02-02T09:03:37Z

The "Scholar" Edge

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:03, 2 February 2009
Line 145:		Line 145:
	===The "Scholar" Edge===		===The "Scholar" Edge===

	~~Let~~'s ~~look into adding~~ the		It's time for us to actually define one of our special edges. We'll start with the "Scholar" edge.

			====Hooking Up Fields====

			====Revising the Pre-Requisites====

			====Assigning Bonuses to Selected Skills====

			====Custom Name====

			====Safeguarding Against Duplicate Skills====

	===The "Professional" Edge===		===The "Professional" Edge===

	===The "Expert" and "Master" Edges===		===The "Expert" and "Master" Edges===