Endless Play and Grind mod

[j12r34]

Here is a quick-reference guide for what an NPC's stats should look like at each level.

 

Base Character Point Allocation Weight for NPC's: (for 18 points)

 

Human...Droid...A.Droid...Wookie...Jedi...Animal...Warrior

 

Strength: 8 ....3.......1.......2.........6........2......4........4

Dexterity: 8 ....4.......3.......5.........3........3......3........3

Constitution: 8 ....2.......2.......4.........4........2......5........4

Intelligence: 8 ....4.......7.......2.........2........2......3........3

Wisdom: 8 ....2.......2.......2.........1........4......1........2

Charisma: 8 ....2.......2.......2.........1........4......1........1

 

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Level: Attibutes...Feats...Powers

 

1----: 18.......3.......1

2----: 21.......6.......2

3----: 24.......9.......3

4----: 27......12.......5

5----: 30......18.......6

6----: 33......21.......8

7----: 36......24.......9

8----: 39......27......11

9----: 42......30......12

10---: 45......37......14

11---: 48......40......15

12---: 51......43......17

13---: 54......46......18

14---: 57......49......20

15---: 60......55......21

16---: 63......58......23

17---: 66......61......24

18---: 69......64......26

19---: 72......67......27

20---: 75......75......30

 

To sort of explain the weighting chart, it shows how any NPC's attributes should be assigned for every 18 points they have. Since my new system will grant 3 points per level, they will have to be alternately distributed among the different attributes, but instead being distributed evenly (1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, which is obviously more than 3), they will have to alternate each level (Lvl. 2: 2, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0), (Lvl 3: 0, 1, 0, 1, 1,0). It doesn't matter exactly how they are distributed, so long as it is close to the pattern on the chart.

 

The second chart shows what an NPC's Attribute, Feat, and Force Power Points can add up to at any given level.

 

*A. Droid means 'assault droid', and includes (1) any droid designated or modified for combat, (2) any automated turrets

 

I hope this is easy enough to be understood. The rest of my documents ARE on my other laptop, which cannot be retrieved until at least next week, so I won't be able to do much more until then.

 

P.S. For some reason things don't look the same after I post them as they do when I am typing. I can't get the format to appear correctly. Sorry.

[Fair Strides 2]

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***This is a copy/paste of the list from post #4, but with only the info needed for the NPC's. Have fun!***

 

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1. Units that re-spawn in certain areas at intervals.(like the wraid groups in Dune Sea)

 

 

-all new NPC's will drop items

 

 

NOTE: See 'Locations and NPC Placement', 'NPC Item Drops'

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2. *Character progression overhaul.

 

 

-Since max level can't be increased, each level needs to be much harder to gain, and XP rewards from enemies scaled to appropriate amounts.

 

-18 spendable Attribute points at start of game.

 

-3 Attribute points per level

 

-6 Feats at level 5 and 10, 7 Feats at level 15, 8 Feats at level 20, and

3 Feats at every level in-between

 

-Force Powers gain alternates per level: 1,2,1,2, and then 3 at level 20

 

-Feats and Force powers will need to be modified and level restricted(working on a chart with more details)

 

-In combat, I would like for the player's stats to have very little influence on a weapon or item's power output(Damage, effects), but more influence on its efficiency(accuracy, critical hits).

 

 

*I also want all party members and new NPC's to be affected, meaning that they get the same amount of points, feats, and force powers, as well as the same level restrictions that the player would at the same level. Some special NPC's, however, will have extra feats and force powers without level limitations.

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3. Each planet scaled to different level ranges:

 

 

Taris: Level 1-5

 

Dantooine: Level 3-8

 

Manaan: Level 5-10

 

Tatooine: Level 8-13

 

Kashyyyk: Level 10-15

 

Korriban: Level 13-18

 

Unknown Planet: Level 15-20

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4. New enemies divided into 5 difficulty ranges, to be appropriately challenging for players of equal level: WEAK, NORMAL, STRONG, ELITE, and MYTHICAL.(attribute, feat, and power allocation chart is being made for reference)

 

 

-Each difficulty scaled to the planets' level ranges:

 

 

--Taris: WEAK=level 1, NORMAL=level 2, STRONG=level 3, ELITE=level 4, MYTHICAL=level 5

 

--Dantooine: W=3-4, N=5-6, S=7-8, E=10, M=15

 

--Manaan: W=5-6, N=7-8, S=9-10, E=13, M=18

 

--Tatooine: W=8-9, N=10-11, S=12-13, E=15, M=20

 

--Kashyyyk: W=10-11, N=12-13, S=14-15, E=18 M=20+*

 

--Korriban: W=13-14, N=15-16, S=17-18, E=20, M=20++

 

--Unknown Planet: W=15-16, N=17-18, S=19-20, E=N/A

 

 

*Each + next to 20 represents 5 levels worth of stats the enemy needs to have.

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NOTE: The classes and tiers for enemies, items, and merchants won't really appear in the game. They are imaginary and only for the purpose of explaining how I want them scaled and balanced.

 

---More details below---

 

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---Locations and NPC placement---------------------------------------------

__________________________________________________ _________________________

 

 

Taris:

 

 

 

-Upper City Streets

 

 

--Thugs(normal unarmed civilian type NPC's that will attack the player): WEAK

 

 

 

-Upper City Apartments

 

 

--Sith patrols(groups of 2-3 sith troopers): NORMAL

 

 

 

-Sith Base

 

 

--Sith patrols(groups of 1-3): STRONG

 

--Sith assault droids(1-2 accompanying the sith patrols): STRONG

 

 

 

Lower City Streets

 

 

--Black Vulkars(groups of 3-6): WEAK

 

--Hidden Beks(2 guards near the door to their base, friendly): NORMAL

 

 

 

-Lower City Apartments

 

--Black Vulkars(groups of 4-5): NORMAL

 

 

 

-Undercity(outside the village)

 

 

--Rakgouls(groups of 3-6): STRONG

 

--Sith Patrols(groups of 4): NORMAL

 

--Black Vulkars(groups of 4): NORMAL

 

--Two outcast guards at the gate(friendly): WEAK

 

--Rogue Droids(solo): NORMAL

 

 

 

-Sewers

 

 

--Rakgouls(groups of 3-6): STRONG

 

--Gamoreans(groups of 1-4): STRONG

 

 

 

-Vulkar Base

 

 

--Black Vulkars(groups of 1-4): STRONG

 

 

 

*I would also like for Taris to be revisitable. If possible, place the Ebon Hawk on the platform between the elevator and the sith base. If that can't be done, place a custom merchant on the area between the elevator and the sith base, that the player can talk to in order to leave the planet, and a spawn point at the same location for entering the planet. I want the apartment to still be where the player returns when on Taris, if possible.

 

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Dantooine

 

 

 

-Fields

 

 

--Kath hounds(besides the ones already there, groups of 3-4, always at least one horned kath hound): WEAK

 

--Mandalorians(groups of 3-6): NORMAL

 

--Jedi Knights(solo, friendly): STRONG

 

 

 

-*Cave(in and around)

 

--Kinrath(groups of 1-3): STRONG

 

 

*I would like the harvestable crystals in the cave to respawn over time, and if this works, I would also like regenerating harvestable crystal to be placed in all the other caves in the game.

 

 

 

-Ruins and Grove

 

 

--Dark Jedi(solo): STRONG

 

 

 

-Estates

 

(Sandral)

 

 

--*Matale assault droids(groups of 4-8): NORMAL

 

--Sandral assault droids(two guarding the door, friendly): NORMAL

 

 

(Matale)

 

 

--*Sandral assault droids(groups of 4-8): NORMAL

 

--Matale assault droids(two guarding the door, friendly): NORMAL

 

 

*I would like the attacking droids to appear at the entrance of each respective zone and move toward the door of the defending estate.(As though they are trying to raid the building)

 

 

 

NOTE: I would also like for Dantooine to remain visitable through the entire game.

 

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Manaan

 

 

 

-Ahto City

 

 

--Thugs(same as Taris): WEAK

 

--Selkath Police(single, armed, accompanied by an assault droid): NORMAL

 

 

 

-Sith Base

 

 

--Sith patrols(groups of 2-4): NORMAL

 

--Sith assault droids(groups of 1-2): NORMAL

 

 

 

-Underwater Facility

 

 

--Mad Selkath(groups of 1-4): STRONG

 

--Republic Soldiers(groups of 2-3, friendly): NORMAL

 

--Republic assault droids(1-2 accompanying the republic soldiers): NORMAL

 

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Tatooine

 

 

 

-Anchorhead

 

 

--Thugs(again, groups of 1-2): WEAK

 

--Czerka Police(solo,friendly): NORMAL

 

--Gizka(solo, poisons targets, spawns 2 more gizka on death that also poison targets and multiply, up to 16 at a time): WEAK

 

 

 

-Dune Sea

 

 

--Sand People(groups of 3-5): NORMAL

 

--Hunters(normal civilian NPC's appropriately armed for hunting game, different races, some friendly, some enemy, groups of 1-3): WEAK

 

--Hunting Droid(assault droid outfitted for hunting, varying models, accompanying the hunters): WEAK

 

--Gamoreans(groups of 3-5): NORMAL

 

--Banthas(groups of 1-3): NORMAL

 

--Dewbacks(groups of 1-3): NORMAL

 

--Czerka Guards(5 at the crawler, friendly): STRONG

 

--Sand People(2 guards added at the entrance to West Dune Sea): STRONG

 

 

 

-West Dune Sea

 

 

--Sand People(groups of 3-6): STRONG

 

--Hunters(groups of 1-3, friendly): NORMAL

 

 

 

-Sand People Enclave

 

 

--Sand People(groups of 1-3): ELITE

 

 

 

-East Dune Sea

 

 

--Banthas(groups of 2-4): STRONG

 

--Dewbacks(groups of 1-2): STRONG

 

--Rhontos(solo): ELITE

 

--Hunters(groups of 1-3, friendly): STRONG

 

--*Krayt Dragon(This needs a lot of explaining.): 20++++++

 

 

*I want the Krayt Dragon to appear in random locations, so it's not predictable, but I want it to go to the cave and vanish after a short period of being undisturbed, so that if it gets in the way during the story, players can just wait for it to leave. It needs to have a long respawn wait so that players won't have to worry about more than one showing up at any given time should they choose to fight it. I also want the value of pearls to be extremely high, to fit the challenge of getting them, except the one you get for free. Since the Krayt Dragon is far out of the league of normal enemies, it won't fall within the normal difficulty scale. It needs to be challenging for the highest level of player, so that it will take a long time and a lot of mines and grenades to take down.(We don't want it to be easy by any means.)

 

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Kashyyyk

 

 

 

-*Treetops

 

 

--Kinrath(groups of 1-3): NORMAL

 

--Mykals(groups of 1-4): WEAK

 

--Tach(enemies): WEAK

 

--Wookie Hunters(solo, friendly): NORMAL

 

 

*I want no new enemies added to the "civilized" zones, while the walkways get more and more populated as you get closer to the elevator.

 

 

 

-*Shadowlands

 

 

--Kinrath(groups of 1-3): STRONG

 

--Katarns(groups of 3-5, always at least one bull katarn): STRONG

 

--Mandalorians(groups of 1-4): ELITE

 

--Wookie Hunters(solo, friendly): ELITE

 

--Ritual Beast(solo): MYTHICAL

 

 

*Like the Treetops, I want no enemies right at the elevator, but I want them to become more and more populated as one moves deeper into the wild, the Ritual Beast only appearing in the deepest parts.

 

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Korriban

 

 

 

-Dreshdae

 

 

--Thugs(once more): WEAK

 

--Dark Jedi(groups of 1-3, some friendly, some enemy, to represent rivalries and alliances): WEAK

 

Gizka(same as before): WEAK

 

 

 

-Academy

 

 

--Dark Jedi(same as before): NORMAL

 

--Dark Jedi Knights(solo, some friendly, some enemy): STRONG

 

 

 

-Caves

 

 

--Shyracks(groups of 1-3): NORMAL

 

--Kinrath(groups of 1-3): STRONG

 

--Rancor(solo, only in the deepest room): 20++++

 

--Sith students(groups of 1-3, some friendly, some enemy): WEAK to NORMAL

 

 

 

-Excavation Site

 

 

--Dark Jedi(same as above): NORMAL

 

--Dark Jedi Knights(same as above): STRONG

 

--Dark Jedi Masters(solo, some friendly, some enemy): ELITE

 

--Sith Troopers(groups of 2-6, friendly): NORMAL

 

--Sith Assault Droids(1-2, accompanying the sith troopers): STRONG

 

--*Krayt Dragon: 20+++++++

 

 

*I want this one to appear only near the big drop-off, and move towards the tomb of Ragnos, where it will vanish after a short period of being undisturbed. The other NPC's in and around its path will need long respawn delays, so they don't constantly keep it on a rampage. I also want this one to be a greyish color(sort of the way the player looks when far on the dark side), and to have some darkside force powers and poisonous breath.

 

 

 

-Tombs(all)

 

 

--Sith students(same as above): NORMAL

 

--Wraids(groups of 4): STRONG

 

--Tarantatek(solo): ELITE

 

--Sith ghosts(solo): ELITE

 

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*Unknown Planet

 

 

 

-(whole planet, except inside the temple)

 

 

--Rakatan warriors(groups of 2-6): NORMAL

 

--Mandalorian Raiders(Groups of 3-5): STRONG

 

--Young Rancors(solo): ELITE

 

--Stranded survivors(civilian type NPC's of various species, some friendly, some enemy, some armed, some not): WEAK

 

 

 

-(Inside Temple)

 

 

--Dark Jedi(solo): STRONG

 

*I would like for the game to be playable after the credits, but since that may not be possible, I could settle instead for a mod that allows the player to re-recruit Bastila here, as well as travel to any planet, instead of going straight to the Star Forge to finish the game. This also means that the Star Forge needs to be added to the Galaxy Map as a selectable destination, so the player can go and finish the game at any time after finishing the story on the Unknown Planet.

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*Mythical Characters

 

 

 

-Dantooine

 

 

--*Next to Star Map: Revan(wearing Star Forge Robes and a mask, wielding a blue lightsaber)--MYTHICAL

 

 

 

-Manaan

 

 

--Cantina: Calrissian--MYTHICAL

 

--Swoop Office: Teta--MYTHICAL

 

 

 

-Tatooine

 

 

--Hunting Lodge: Jamoh Hogra--MYTHICAL

 

--Czerka Office: Yusanis--MYTHICAL

 

--Cantina: Cassus Fett-MYTHICAL

 

--Swoop Office: Jurgan Kalta--MYTHICAL

 

--**Next to Star Map:

 

---Revan(Star Forge Robes, wielding a blue lightsaber, Friendly)--MYTHICAL

 

---Darth Revan(wearing Darth Revan's Robes, wielding the

Mantle of the Force, enemy)--MYTHICAL

 

 

 

-Kashyyyk

 

 

--***Next to Star Map: Darth Revan(Darth Revan's Robes, wielding the Heart of the Guardian)--MYTHICAL

 

 

-Korriban

 

--Cantina: Sanasiki--MYTHICAL

 

--****Next to Star Map: Darth Malak(Wielding the ceremonial lightsaber the player is supposed to retrieve.)--MYTHICAL

 

 

 

*I would like for Revan to appear just as the player approaches the Star Map, before activating it, and only respawn when the player leaves and re-enters.

 

 

**I would like for Revan and Darth Revan to appear just as the player approaches the Star Map, before activating it. I would like for the two to fight, Darth Revan defeats Revan, and then attacks the player. Same as before with the respawn.

 

 

***I would like for Darth Revan to appear one final time to challenge the player, just as in the previous instances.

 

 

****This one is a big request. I want Darth Malak to appear just as Revan did, only I want the fight to happen a different way. This may not be possible, but I would like the damage to be reversed in this battle. (Attacking Malak heals him and hurts the player, and attacking the player heals him/her and hurts Malak). This is meant to represent the principle that the only way to defeat the Dark Side is to let go of aggression. If it's not possible, I can settle for a normal fight.

 

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---NPC Item Drops----------------------------------------------------------

__________________________________________________ _________________________

 

Every new sentient NPC needs to have the following things in its inventory:

(using the Item Classification above as a guide)

 

 

-At least one weapon appropriate to the planet it is on(equipped)

 

-Armor appropriate to the planet it is on(equipped)

 

-Some type of money or sellable item

 

 

 

The following NPC's need specific items in addition to those listed above:

 

 

-Sith Troopers: Any sith weapon or combination of weapons with no level restrictions, Sith Armor(disquise), Credits(10, 20, or 40, on Taris, Manaan, or Korriban respectively), 1 Healing item(medpac, adv. medpac, or life support pack on Taris, Manaan, or Korriban respectively)

 

-Sand People: Sand People disquise, gaffi stick

 

-Gamoreans: Gamorean Battle Axe

 

-Thugs: 1 pazaak card(ranging from -6 to +6)

 

-Hunters: Antidote kit, wraid plates(1-3) or gaffi sticks(1-4)

 

-Wookies: bowcaster, antibiotic kit

 

-Republic soldiers: Republic Mod Armor, 1 adv. medpac, 20 credits

 

-Jedi: lightsaber or combination of lightsabers(any color except red), jedi robe of appropriate rank

 

-Dark Jedi: same as jedi, except all lightsabers are red

 

-Mandalorians: any Mandalorian weapon or combination of weapons without level restrictions, a Mandalorian armor appropriate for the planet they're on, 1 lethal grenade, 1 tactical grenade, Mandalorian head(modified to be sellable)

 

 

 

-Czerka police: Bothan stun stick, Bothan Discord Gun, concussion grenade

 

-Czerka guard: Disruptor Rifle, Disruptor Pistol, Plasma Grenade

 

-Sith Ghosts: Red lightsaber(varying types and combinations),

rough-cut upari amulet

 

-Teta: Teta's Blade, Teta's Royal Headband, Vibration Cell

 

-Calrissian: Calrissian's Utility Belt

 

-Yusanis: Yusanis' Brand, Yusanis's Dueling Shield(infinite uses),

Energy Projector, 30 Gaffi Sticks

 

-Jamoh Hogra: Jamoh Hogra's Carbine, Jamoh Hogra's Battle Armor, Scope,

Armor Reinforcement, 20 Wraid Plates

 

-Cassus Fett: Cassus Fett's Heavy Pistol X 2, Cassus Fett's Battle Armor,

Hair Trigger X 2, Armor Reinforcement

 

-Jurgan Kalta: Jurgan Kalta's Carbine, Jurgan Kalta's Assault Rifle,

Jurgan Kalta's Power Suit, Improved Energy Cell,

Beam Splitter, Mesh Underlay, 20 Racing Bonds

 

-Sanasiki: Sanasiki's Blade, Durasteel Bonding Alloy

 

-Revan(both instances): Star Forge Robes, blue lightsaber,

Rough Cut Upari Amulet

 

-Darth Revan(Tatooine): Lightsaber with the Mantle of the Force, Sigil, Rough-cut Upari Amulet, Darth Revan's Robes(no drop)

 

-Darth Revan(Kashyyyk): Lightsaber with the Heart of the Guardian,

Rough Cut Upari Amulet, Krayt Dragon Pearl,

Darth Revans Robes(drop)

 

-Darth Malak: Ceremonial Lightsaber, Rough Cut Upari Amulet

 

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Creature Item Drops

 

*Every new creature(non-sentient organic NPC's) needs to drop the following items:

 

-1 trophy, valued according to the creatures difficulty(like the wraid plates. This will require items added to the game, or moddified to be sellable, such as kinrath corpses.)

 

The following creatures need to drop specific items, in addition to those listed above:

 

-Horned Kath Hound: Kath Hound Horn(new item)

 

-Kinrath: lightsaber color crystals(varying colors),

Kinrath Corpse(modded to be sellable)

 

-Gizka: Gizka Poison(modded to be sellable)

 

-Dewback: Dewback Tooth(new item)

 

-Bantha: Bantha Poodoo(bantha fodder renamed and modded to be sellable)

 

-Ronto: Rhonto Hide(new item)

 

-Tach: Tach Gland(modded to be sellable)

 

-Bull Katarn: Bull Katarn Fang(new item)

 

-Tarantatek: Tarantatek Heart(new item), lesser power crystals(like those found on Dantooine)

 

-Ritual Beast: Tarantatek Heart, greater power crystals(like those found on Korriban)

 

-Krayt Dragon: Krayt Dragon Pearl

 

-Dark Krayt Dragon: Krayt Dragon Pearl X 2, Rough Cut Upari Amulet X 5

 

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Droid Item Drops

 

All new droid NPC's need to have the following items in their inventory:

 

-Repair item(Weak, Normal, or Strong, on Taris/Dantooine, Manaan/Tatooine, or Kashyyyk/Korriban respectively)

 

-Droid Plating appropriate to the planet it's on

 

-Droid Utility item appropriate to the planet it's on

 

-Parts

 

Having just read every single word of this, I gotta say that you and I will be working closely for a while. I quite frankly love this mod idea, and a lot of the things in this post are possible. I'm not sure about adding feats, though.

 

Someone at Deadlystream said over a year ago that adding feats is possible, but editing current ones is not.

 

A lot of this is scriptable, such as the spawning of random numbers of groups. I will gladly help you with this mod.

 

P.S:If anyone hates the Krayt Dragons, they can blame me for tweaking them... I'm gonna enjoy that so freakin' much.

[Fair Strides 2]

P.S. For some reason things don't look the same after I post them as they do when I am typing. I can't get the format to appear correctly. Sorry.

 

One thing you can do is try hitting "Preview Post" and examining it all.

[j12r34]

Having just read every single word of this, I gotta say that you and I will be working closely for a while. I quite frankly love this mod idea, and a lot of the things in this post are possible. I'm not sure about adding feats, though.

 

Someone at Deadlystream said over a year ago that adding feats is possible, but editing current ones is not.

 

Not much of a problem then, the way I see it. We could just keep all of the default feats for lower levels, and upgrade them with better ones at higher levels. Would that work?

 

P.S:If anyone hates the Krayt Dragons, they can blame me for tweaking them... I'm gonna enjoy that so freakin' much.

 

You just got me thinking about something I hadn't thought of yet. The base game has a difficulty setting. I don't know how it works, but we should look into using it to make the whole game scalable to the individual player's preference. I liked fighting a Krayt Dragon for 20 minutes on SWG, but some people may not like fights that last more than 1 minute. It would greatly broaden the appeal of the mod if we could pull this off.

[j12r34]

Another thing that needs to be announced is that "Endless Play and Grind Mod" is only a temporary title for the purpose of drawing people who are interested. I hate overly descriptive titles, so I'm looking for a release title which will replace it upon completion. Note that the mod will continue to be titled "Endless Play and Grind" until release, so everyone knows what it's about. From now until completion, or until a satisfactory title has been selected, there will be an on-going poll to submit and vote on prospective release titles.

 

Guidelines for Release Title:

 

(1)Cannot be laughable, ridiculous, or otherwise demeaning/discrediting to the mod itself, the modders, or the consideration and effort they have put into it.

 

(2)Cannot be a blatant rip-off of another title.(We want the mod to pull its own weight and be successful for its own merits, not ride the coat-tails or stand in the shadow of a greater work. We definitely don't want to drag it down by associating it with any not-so-great works.)

 

(3)Should not over-state or under-state what the mod does.(Pretty much for the same reasons as (2). This is an ambitious project, so ambitious titles are acceptable, but we don't want to build hype and then disappoint.)

 

(4)When completed, this mod should make the game more like a MMORPG, like SWG. That could serve as some degree of inspiration.(While I am not opposed to simply calling the mod "KotOR Galaxies", I would prefer something more classy and original.

 

The above guidelines may be altered at any time, and the results of this poll may be overruled if deemed necessary by those making the mod. (This is not as unfair as it may sound, as those making the mod will obviously want the title to reflect their work in a way that they agree with, and the release title needs to reflect the actual accomplishments of the completed work, not the hopes and ambitions of its initial stages. I have seen several mods that fell short of their initial goals, but still got the presumptuous titles associated with their early, perhaps premature ambitions. I have always been somewhat disappointed when playing those mods.)

[j12r34]

Having just read every single word of this, I gotta say that you and I will be working closely for a while. I quite frankly love this mod idea, and a lot of the things in this post are possible.

 

I don't know if you read the full list at the top or not, but under point 6 of post #4, I outlined a sort of 'pet' system. While it's not vital to the mod, and maybe not even possible, you should look at it and tell me what you think. It is a very interesting idea, and I would like to implement it in some form even if it has to be radically altered or dumbed down. I would hate for it to be completely scrapped. I'm not very attached to my proposed method of deployment for those items, but I didn't know if anything better than the land-mine method would be possible, if even it is.

[j12r34]

Even though I don't have my resources, I'm still trying to do as much as I can, so I'm going to prioritize the list the best I can with what I've got.

 

(1) The general NPC's that inhabit the different areas of the world. (This is the top priority, because it is what will allow the player to travel, fight, and earn items and credits, indefinitely. It is the only part that is vital to the functionality of the mod.)

 

(2) The character, ability, and item re-balance. (This is the second priority because, while it isn't vital to the main objective, it will give players a reason keep playing indefinitely, as well as make sure that the game is still fair and challenging.)

 

(3) Being able to travel freely and visit all planets and areas, at least by the endgame or near endgame. (This will enable players to revisit their favorite places and fight their favorite enemies indefinitely without restarting. *There will be more details on this later.)

 

(4) The custom NPC's, which includes all new NPC's as well as NPC's that are already in the game, but are not encountered as fightable enemies. (These are mostly for WOW effect, but will add much more opportunity for the player to fight more specific enemies for a specific purpose.)

 

(5) Difficulty scalability. (Also not vital, because this mod is mostly for players who have already played the game and are looking for more incentive to keep playing. This will also be helpful if someone should happen to install the mod on their first play-through and find it overwhelming.)

 

(6) The new custom items. (The trophy items are most important, because they will be the only thing that makes it worthwhile to hunt banthas and dewbacks, and especially the tougher ones like rancors and krayt dragons. **The new pet/minion items are the next priority, which are entirely for novelty and something to spend all those extra credits and trophies on. The trophy exchange mechanism for obtaining the pets/minions, which I think is a big stretch to begin with, comes last in this section. If the exchange system is not do-able, the items can just be set at a price equivalent to the amount of trophies listed.

 

(7) The Endgame. (By 'Endgame' I mean the point in the game where there is no turning back, and the only option is to move forward towards the credits. ***I have several plans and back-up plans for this, due to my limited knowledge as to what will and will not work. They will be described in the next post.)

 

(8) Bastila's redemption. (I don't think anybody wants to play forever without Bastila, whether your a completionist and can't tolerate an empty party slot, or for other reasons. ****I want new options inserted that will allow her to still be in the party up until the end of the game. Since these options will depend on the strategy chosen for the 'endgame', they will also be in the next post.)

 

(9) Animated Galaxy Map. (This is entirely aesthetic, but this is a serious and ambitious mod, so we may as well do everything we are able to accomplish.)

 

The mod will be made and possibly released one part at a time, in the order listed, and then updated and re-released once each successive stage is completed. (The common NPC's such as thugs, police, hunters, and animals will be made first. Once we finish stage 2, the NPC's will be updated with the new settings, then on to stage 3, stage 4, and so forth.) Whether or not the mod is released in parts will have to be agreed upon by those who contribute each part. If I have left anything out please let me know and I will insert it into it's proper place on the list. Now for the details.

[j12r34]

***DETAILS FOR POST #32***

 

*Free travel. At some point before the 'endgame', there needs to be some script or function that (1)adds all previous planets back on the galaxy map as destinations, (2)unlocks all doors and areas that normally can not be revisited, and (3) notifies the player that this has been done.

 

For Taris and Dantooine, I would like new modules that reflect the destruction caused by the sith, but this will depend on contributions from someone with modeling skills. An alternative would be to just duplicate the modules and remove any story related scripts and dialogues, and technically make 'new' planets to replace the old ones once they are destroyed. If we could make some way to travel between the city of Taris and Davik's Estate, for which I have some big new ideas, it would be a good entry and exit point for the planet, since the Ebon Hawk is already there. I also want Rakata and the Starforge to be added to the map after the appropriate point in the story, but that ties in with the endgame, so I'll mention them when I get there. It would also be nice to have ghost-ship versions of the Endar Spire and Leviathan as destinations, completely explorable and populated with space vermin, wounded survivors, and maybe even some ghosts. The arena and swoop race on Taris, as well as swoop racing on other planets, need to be infinitely re-playable for credits or racing bonds if possible.

 

**Pet/Minion Items. I would like to be able to obtain from certain merchants usable items which, upon use, spawn specific NPC's to help the player. I would like them to be deployable and retrievable like mines so they can be reused. An easier alternative would be to give the item a set number of charges. I would also like to be able to upgrade the droids from these items with parts and repair skill, just like the ones found throughout the game, if possible.

 

***Endgame and Bastila's Redemption. The ideal solution to both problems is to not have an endgame, or more preferably to make it optional right after beating Darth Malak. My idea for this is to place a terminal that only works after Malak is defeated. Using the terminal will warn the player to save, then give them the option to continue playing or go the the ending. It would be nice if the player could continue where they left off once the credits end, but I doubt that is possible. The next good place for the point of no return is right after fighting Bastila, which is one of the places I want to be able to re-recruit her. Either of these options would allow the player to leave the Starforge, go wherever they please, and come back any time to finish the game or just to fight tougher enemies. The next good place, which would unfortunately exclude the Starforge from free-play, is right after fighting Bastila on Rakata. After defeating and potentially re-recruiting her, when the player is leaving the planet, they could have the choice to go to any of the previous destinations, or go to the Starforge. (Once again, the player should be warned that if they do, they are committed to finishing the game. This could also get complicated, because if Bastila is re-recruited here, the player should not have to fight her again on the Starforge.) The next good point for the end to begin is after finding the fourth star map. In this case traveling to the Unknown Planet will be the point of no return. This will exclude both Rakata and Starforge from free-play, which is why it is a last resort. I would rather break the story by not going into the cut-scene after defeating Malak, than to use this option. Now for the last (or first, as you would come to it in the story) opportunity to save Bastila. Not letting her get captured in the first place. I've got a couple of good ideas about this and they could even all be used to give the player multiple chances. The first opportunity, in chronological order, is right after finding the third star map, if Bastila is in the current party, a dialogue will notify the player that "Bastila seems uneasy about something." Talking to her will initiate a dialogue to the effect that she senses something bad is about to happen, that she has a bad feeling about your journey to the next planet, and that she thinks you should stop searching for the star maps. This will give the player the option to leave her on the current planet, where she can be recruited after escaping the Leviathan, or talking her into continuing the search. (No voice-over, unless you can convince Jennifer Hale to provide it. No VO at all is better than a bad VO.) I think this is a good idea, but it may not be possible because of how much work it would be to completely omit her from the Leviathan scenes. The next opportunity could be a dialogue option during the fight with Saul Karath, or when confronting Darth Malak. (If Bastila IS prevented from being captured here, the player should not fight her on the Unknown Planet or the Starforge.) As for revisiting the Unknown Planet and Starforge, they will probably have to be duplicated and edited like Taris and Dantooine, to avoid repeating quests, dialogues, and cut-scenes. It is preferable if these locations reflect the story thus far, but not necessary.

 

That's all of the details for now. My eyes are starting to get blurry, so I'll be back with some expanded ideas after some time away from the screen.

[Fair Strides 2]

Heads up, I've already done the whole "cancel the endgame" thing in TSL, so I can do it in K1 as well...

 

So you don't have to worry about any points of no return.

[j12r34]

Heads up, I've already done the whole "cancel the endgame" thing in TSL, so I can do it in K1 as well...

 

So you don't have to worry about any points of no return.

 

Well at least it's one thing I don't have to worry about. I don't know for sure if I want to completely remove the ending though. It might be better for people who like the story if it is made optional. I don't know everything that's possible though, so I'll leave it up to the experts. That part of the mod is a long ways off right now, so I'll worry about it once I get to that step.

 

By the way, I would like to try to make this a team project, as there are several things I will definitely not be able to do myself, like modeling. I've played around with KotOR Tool and it seems simple enough. I'm confident that I can make most of the custom characters and items without much difficulty. And the scripting looks like it should be easy, if I can just learn where to start. I'm going to check around for some premade scripts that I can study. I may even look at some of the ones from the game to see what I can learn. Any templates you or anyone else can give me would be greatly appreciated as well. I may have to leave the advanced scripting for some of the new items I want to someone else, or scrap them completely, but I should be able to handle spawning and moving the NPC's around.

 

After reading Logan23's 'Total Conversion Read First!' my mod doesn't seem quite as intimidating. I do think I may want to use his idea of duplicating modules, for more space, but any added modules would have to be placed in between the normal ones, so the player will actually be required to travel through them. I wouldn't want extra modules just aimlessly taking up space, but it would be nice to expand the Dune Sea, especially if you're going to be chased by krayt dragons. That brings up another question. Is it possible to have enemies chase you through multiple modules until you get to some sort of boundary or safe zone?

 

My project for the next week or so will be creating all of the utc's I'll need, and learning to script them so they work. By the way, do rhonto's, gizka, and krayt dragons already have attack animations? and if so, how difficult would it be to give a poison attack to gizka, and poison breath (like the gas traps or mines) to the dark zombie krayt dragon on Korriban? I would also like some detailed information on the parts of the utc editor, namely descriptions of the different factions available and how the challenge rating correlates to XP.

[j12r34]

I also need to know everything that affects a characters base HP and defense, because the weapons, armors, and items will be scaled so that a level 5 light weapon will deplete the base HP of a level 5 human in the same number of hits as a level 15 light weapon vs. the base HP of a level 15 human. Basically, do base HP and defense increase at all on their own? or do they depend entirely on attributes and modifiers? I will have to re-think my strategy if the latter is the case, but if the former is true, how can I calculate the base HP and defense of a character at any given level, all modifiers aside?

[Fair Strides 2]

Well at least it's one thing I don't have to worry about. I don't know for sure if I want to completely remove the ending though. It might be better for people who like the story if it is made optional. I don't know everything that's possible though, so I'll leave it up to the experts. That part of the mod is a long ways off right now, so I'll worry about it once I get to that step.

 

By the way, I would like to try to make this a team project, as there are several things I will definitely not be able to do myself, like modeling. I've played around with KotOR Tool and it seems simple enough. I'm confident that I can make most of the custom characters and items without much difficulty. And the scripting looks like it should be easy, if I can just learn where to start. I'm going to check around for some premade scripts that I can study. I may even look at some of the ones from the game to see what I can learn. Any templates you or anyone else can give me would be greatly appreciated as well. I may have to leave the advanced scripting for some of the new items I want to someone else, or scrap them completely, but I should be able to handle spawning and moving the NPC's around.

 

After reading Logan23's 'Total Conversion Read First!' my mod doesn't seem quite as intimidating. I do think I may want to use his idea of duplicating modules, for more space, but any added modules would have to be placed in between the normal ones, so the player will actually be required to travel through them. I wouldn't want extra modules just aimlessly taking up space, but it would be nice to expand the Dune Sea, especially if you're going to be chased by krayt dragons. That brings up another question. Is it possible to have enemies chase you through multiple modules until you get to some sort of boundary or safe zone?

 

My project for the next week or so will be creating all of the utc's I'll need, and learning to script them so they work. By the way, do rhonto's, gizka, and krayt dragons already have attack animations? and if so, how difficult would it be to give a poison attack to gizka, and poison breath (like the gas traps or mines) to the dark zombie krayt dragon on Korriban? I would also like some detailed information on the parts of the utc editor, namely descriptions of the different factions available and how the challenge rating correlates to XP.

 

What I meant by removing the endgame was the credits and subsequent retunr to the main menu.

 

It is possible to have a group chase you, but not the way you think. It'd need to involve the OnEnter scripts for the modules involved just to make them chase you. Then you'd have to account for damage already recieved and members of the chasing group already killed. It's possible, but it'd be a pretty piece of scripting.

 

I'm not sure about the attack animations on the creatures.

 

Try opening a regular NPC's .utc and checking the Scripts tab. There's the default scripted behaviours for the npcs.

 

On the poison bite and breath, yes and maybe, respectively. The bite is a matter of making a poison item and equipping it in the .utc, which I could show you how(because it's not the normal equipping). The breath would require an examination of the current models and possibly rotating a model to go horizontal.

 

The challenge rating is a reference to a line in xptable.2da, which details the exp gained based on the creature/person's level compared to the killer's level.

[DuckfromPortal]

Another thing that needs to be announced is that "Endless Play and Grind Mod" is only a temporary title for the purpose of drawing people who are interested. I hate overly descriptive titles, so I'm looking for a release title which will replace it upon completion. Note that the mod will continue to be titled "Endless Play and Grind" until release, so everyone knows what it's about. From now until completion, or until a satisfactory title has been selected, there will be an on-going poll to submit and vote on prospective release titles.

 

Guidelines for Release Title:

 

(1)Cannot be laughable, ridiculous, or otherwise demeaning/discrediting to the mod itself, the modders, or the consideration and effort they have put into it.

 

(2)Cannot be a blatant rip-off of another title.(We want the mod to pull its own weight and be successful for its own merits, not ride the coat-tails or stand in the shadow of a greater work. We definitely don't want to drag it down by associating it with any not-so-great works.)

 

(3)Should not over-state or under-state what the mod does.(Pretty much for the same reasons as (2). This is an ambitious project, so ambitious titles are acceptable, but we don't want to build hype and then disappoint.)

 

(4)When completed, this mod should make the game more like a MMORPG, like SWG. That could serve as some degree of inspiration.(While I am not opposed to simply calling the mod "KotOR Galaxies", I would prefer something more classy and original.

 

The above guidelines may be altered at any time, and the results of this poll may be overruled if deemed necessary by those making the mod. (This is not as unfair as it may sound, as those making the mod will obviously want the title to reflect their work in a way that they agree with, and the release title needs to reflect the actual accomplishments of the completed work, not the hopes and ambitions of its initial stages. I have seen several mods that fell short of their initial goals, but still got the presumptuous titles associated with their early, perhaps premature ambitions. I have always been somewhat disappointed when playing those mods.)

 

I don't know of any title using this or something similar, so i'll suggest:

 

Hordes of enemies

 

Simple, explains what it does, but not in such a way that it spoils everything added

[j12r34]

It is possible to have a group chase you, but not the way you think. It'd need to involve the OnEnter scripts for the modules involved just to make them chase you. Then you'd have to account for damage already recieved and members of the chasing group already killed. It's possible, but it'd be a pretty piece of scripting.

 

This isn't really important, I was just wondering how difficult it would be. There's already a lot planned for the mod, so this doesn't seem to be worthwhile at the moment.

 

I'm not sure about the attack animations on the creatures.

 

I know they had attack animations when I used Darth Dac's Warpband to spawn them, but I didn't know if he had done any additional modding or not.

 

On the poison bite and breath, yes and maybe, respectively. The bite is a matter of making a poison item and equipping it in the .utc, which I could show you how(because it's not the normal equipping). The breath would require an examination of the current models and possibly rotating a model to go horizontal.

 

I figured as much for the gizka. If the poison breath for the krayt dragon ends up being too much, it could be substituted for a normal poison attack. By the way, could the altered appearance I want for that particular krayt dragon be accomplished simply by retexturing?

 

Thanks for the info.

[j12r34]

Even though I don't have my resources, I'm still trying to do as much as I can, so I'm going to prioritize the list the best I can with what I've got.

 

(1) The general NPC's that inhabit the different areas of the world. (This is the top priority, because it is what will allow the player to travel, fight, and earn items and credits, indefinitely. It is the only part that is vital to the functionality of the mod.)

 

(2) The character, ability, and item re-balance. (This is the second priority because, while it isn't vital to the main objective, it will give players a reason keep playing indefinitely, as well as make sure that the game is still fair and challenging.)

 

After experimenting with the UTC editor, I think I will probably have to work on these two points simultaneously, because there will be so many NPC's, making them all and then remaking them would be extremely annoying and significantly delay the project. Assuming I can learn the basic scripting within a few weeks to a couple of months, (in-between working on other parts of the project, taking breaks from the mod, and basically tending to life outside of modding), I would like to have some version of the mod reviewed and released by the end of the year, even if only the first two stages are complete. I realize this is probably pushing the bounds of reality, so no guarantees, but there does need to at least be some definite progress by that time if the mod is ever going to get moving.

 

I doubt I'll be back online until Saturday or later, so I hope I can at least have a few of the UTC's made by then, and maybe learn the first few steps of scripting. It all depends on how time works out, and whether or not I can stay motivated while cut off from most of my reading sources.

[j12r34]

So far I have experimented with modifying the npc's on the Endar Spire. I haven't done anything major so far. I'm just trying to learn more about how they work. I have a few questions I need answers to before I can learn much more though. First, is the baseitem.sda or whatever it's called what dictates weapon damage and armor defense? Second, do I need to edit the modules with a gff editor in order to place new npc's or can scripts take care of that? I'll continue experimenting, but for now it's mostly on a when-I-feel-like-it basis.

[Fair Strides 2]

So far I have experimented with modifying the npc's on the Endar Spire. I haven't done anything major so far. I'm just trying to learn more about how they work. I have a few questions I need answers to before I can learn much more though. First, is the baseitem.sda or whatever it's called what dictates weapon damage and armor defense? Second, do I need to edit the modules with a gff editor in order to place new npc's or can scripts take care of that? I'll continue experimenting, but for now it's mostly on a when-I-feel-like-it basis.

 

I've been doing some work on my end, too. I messed with the difficulty options you see in the options menu. I made a Kath Hound do 65 damage to a level one character in basic clothing...

 

That good enough for you?

 

As to your first question about the baseitem.2da, the answer is yes. In the baseitems.2da, there are two columns to note: numdice and dicetoroll. The numdice column needs a number detailing the number of dice to roll to calculate damage, and the dicetoroll column contains a number detailing the number of sides each die has.

 

Examples: The vibrosword has 2 numdice and 6 dietoroll, so the base damage is 2-12, because a 6-sided die can roll 1-6 and we have two of them.

 

Another example is the lightsaber, which has 2 numdice and 10 dietoroll, which results in 2-20 damage.

 

You use those tutorials I sent you?

 

A module, the way I define it, is a series of interconnected rooms composed of individual models, lights, a skybox(just an outside-in cube to display textures on) and a walkmesh(which is basically just a collision modifier-type element that tells the game if the person can walk on the graphical point they're about to step on).

 

The module's generic(general everyday) data is stored in the .ifo file.

The module's environmental data and event scripts are stored in the .are files.

The module's custom info(things that are related to the specific module, like npc spawns) is stored in the .git file.

 

I sent a tutorial on the .git, .utc, .uti, and .utp file types. I recommend using the K-GFF Editor from starwarsknights.com, look for the tools link in the left-hand panel.

[j12r34]

(1.) Concerning exact damage numbers between player and npc's, I'll post some charts once I have them finished. (2.) As for the difficulty scale, I pretty much want very easy, normal, and very hard. I've done a little work on that myself, but if possible I would like for it to play something like this: Hard--an npc 4-5 levels above the player will usually one-hit kill the player, whereas in Normal, it would need to be 8-10 levels superior for the same effect, and in Easy, a level 1 player could stand 2-3 hits from a level 15 npc. (3.) If I change weapons and armor in the .2da's will the ui in the game reflect those changes automatically or do I need to edit some type of string file or something too? I know in some games the ui has to be manually updated to reflect modifications to the numbers. (4.) I think we need to exchange our work once I've actually done something, so we don't both keep working on the same things. If I can make all the .utc's, would you be willing to place them in the game and make them function? Unless you know how to make random loot drops like Logan23 suggested above, I'll have to make 8-12 versions of each npc, in which case each planet may take several days. If we can divide the work between both of us, we might make some real progress, and since scripting is still a little bit beyond my understanding, I figure it may be best if I handle the simple things like utc's, uti's, and the rebalancing part, while you work on making it all functional, if you want to. I don't know if that's really an equal split of the work load or not, but I'll keep trying to learn scripting so I can do more. For now, I just want to see some progress so I don't get tired and give up.

Just for an update, I have the modified .2da's for feats, powers, and xp/leveling. Do you know if it's possible to change how many attribute points you get per level? And if so, how?

 

P.S. I am typing on a phone, so please forgive any typos or left-out words.

[j12r34]

For the release title I'm thinking about 'KotOR: Extended Play', or some variation of it. Does anyone know if this has been taken?

[Isaac Clarke]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=kotor+extended+play

 

 

 

But really, the short answer is: no.

[R2-X2]

I started a somewhat similar mod 3 years ago (but never moved very far) where I had a console that ported one to a duplicate area where enemies based on Globals (that were set in a console dialog) would spawn, as well as allies (also based on settings in a dialog) The units would patrol along certain paths to create a battle where one would take part of.

 

I had only one setting done when I stopped it, it was: "Tatooine, Offense, Enemy: Republic, Ally: Sith Empire". It was a duplicade module of the Krayt Dragon's cave where the attackers would come from the Tusken direction and the defenders from inside the cave. I planned to allow being able to choose whether one would be attacker or defender.

 

 

I know this is different from what you are planning, as it did not change any of the standard locations but just added instead. I nonetheless wanted to tell you about my discontinued (and lost) project.

 

Good luck with your mod!

[DuckfromPortal]

hows this going? Any progress? I'm not a huge modder, in fact i'm having a lot of difficulty when i fisrt tried to start, but i'll be starting again soon. I wanted to hear about other projects to raise my own spirits.

[Fair Strides 2]

hows this going? Any progress? I'm not a huge modder, in fact i'm having a lot of difficulty when i fisrt tried to start, but i'll be starting again soon. I wanted to hear about other projects to raise my own spirits.

 

Currently, the guy is having some tech and RL issues with finding the time. I'm working with him on it, and he's sending me some files soon so I can get to work on Taris. Progress is still live, don't worry.

[j12r34]

I'm sorry for the disappointment, but we won't be able to release anything before Christmas as I had hoped. I have done a small amount of work, but the learning process is going slow, and I have to spend a lot of time away from the mod just to keep myself from getting tired and giving up. To avoid having to go back on any more deadlines, I won't set any more. I'll just release things when they are ready. If anyone wants detailed info on progress, just send a pm. If you want to contribute send me a pm detailing what you are able and willing to do. I appreciate the interest everyone has shown in this mod, and I hope it can be successful. I just need to get over the hurdles, one at a time. As soon as things slow back down, I hope to get back to work on the utc's and uti's. I think once I can get past that, I should be able to get enough done to start working on the phase 1-2 release, but I don't know when that will be. A warning to any other new modders : uti's and utc's can take a long time to do, especially if you need multiple versions of them. Don't expect to sit down and do it in just a few days unless you're ok with not taking any breaks and possibly losing your sanity.

[DuckfromPortal]

Take your tme and enjoy yourself knowing that you are working on this should be consolement enough for people