Recently there has been a discussion on the Steam discussions about various basic features that are missing from GameGuru, one of the features that has come up is an easy to use basic questing system, so i have decided to give it a try.

This set of scripts will be a system of quest scripts that are as user friendly as possible, with as little script editing needed as possible, there will be some minor editing involved (much like the music scripts) which can't in GameGurus current form be avoided.


I've been working (with the help of AmenMoses, Smallg, and DVader) on this and it will consists of 3 scripts:

1- simplequestcontrol.lua : This is the script that handles the quest descriptions (you will need to edit this script and enter your quest descriptions in the available sections), just place it in a dynamic, always active entity.
2 - simplequestjournal.lua : This handles displaying the quest journal when you press J, listing the descriptions from simplequest.lua on a sprite background, including a counter for the quest steps (this script can be edited to change the locations of the text and sprite), it also contains a code to display text on screen to tell you the journal has updated, it also displays the score in ithe top middle of the screen, just place it in a dynamic, always active entity.
3 - simplequest.lua : This is the main quest script for quest items, just put it in an entity and name it:

name,quest id,total number of steps,type of task,points

.. then place as many copies as there are steps listed, when items are picked up it progresses the quest.

The quest types for the 4th parameter (type of task) in the name are:

1: Pickup - Items will prompt you to press [E] to collect them.
2: Collect - Items will be automatically collected when you walk over them.
3: Trigger Zone - Works with a trigger zone marker to update the quest log when you enter the area (note this option will only work in a zone marker).
4: Win Zone - Works with the winzone marker to update the quest and load the next level (note this option will only work in a zone marker).

So for example:

Five entities on the map:

Entity 1: name,1,1,1,100
Entity 2: name,2,3,1,100
Entity 3: name,2,3,1,100
Entity 4: name,2,3,1,100
Entity 5: name,3,1,3,100

This would make the first task to pick up one entity, then the second task would be to pick up three entities, then the last task would be to enter a trigger zone, and for each task and step you will get 100 points.

For multi-step tasks you can have different variables in the task type and points slots, but the quest id and the number of steps must be the same for all entities in that quest, for example if entities 2, 3 and 4 were like this:

Entity 2: name,2,3,1,50
Entity 3: name,2,3,2,100
Entity 4: name,2,3,3,200

You would have to pickup an object for 50 points, walk over an object for 100 points, and enter a trigger zone for 200 points, in any order for that task.

I've tried to make it as easy to use as possible, and you can now download it from the attachment in this post, to install simply open up the zip and drag the folders into you gameguru/files folder.

Important: Because you have to edit the scripts for the quest descriptions this system will only work on one map per simplequest.lua, if you want to use a different set of quests on a different map you will need to create another folder in the scriptbank, copy simplequest.lua into the new folder, and use it from there in the new map.

Please Note: This quest chain system is just a series of user editable tasks, with a basic scoring system, there's no provision for rewards or effecting anything else, all it does is update progression along the quest chain in the journal, if people want anything more than that then they'll have to do it themselves, that's a little more advanced than i can do, and outside the scope of this project, all i'm trying to achieve is a very basic, user friendly system, that users can use as a base to work from.

Here's a quick video of the "pickup" script working so far:



I will be including various quest entities, a green gem, red question mark, blue star, and gold and silver coins, these are all animated to spin. There will also be custom trigger zone and win zone markers (these will have to live in the entitybank because for some reason GG doesn't read custom markers from the _markers folder).



I'll keep you updated as i add new parts.

ENJOY!

Edited to include updated description of system (15/01/19)
Edited to add the inclusion of a fifth script to the system (16/01/19)
Edited description, I've cut down the number of scripts needed, now there is only 3 (17/01/19)
Added information about quest pick up entities (20/01/19)
Added information about score and points (01/02/19)
Edited and added the instructions to be clearer for multi-step tasks (05/02/19)
Uploaded the first release version of the system (15/02/19)
Uploaded a new zip file due to an error in the original zip, also added a demo map saved in DX11 (24/02/19)

it's great, nice work



Intel Pentium CPU G3220 3.000 GHz , 8 GB Ram , NVIDIA GeForce GTX 745 2GB 1920 x 1080 , Windows 10 64-bit.
GameGuru , S2Engine HD , Shoot EM Up , CopperCube 6 , Clicteam Fusion 2.5 , Platfinity .

Cheers JPH.

I've been working (with the help of Amen and Smallg) on this some more, currently it consists of 4 scripts:

1- simplequest.lua : This is the script that handles the quest descriptions (you will need to edit this script and enter your quest descriptions in the available sections), just place it in a dynamic, always active entity.
2 - simplequestjournal.lua : This handles displaying the quest journal when you press J, listing the descriptions from simplequest.lua on a sprite background, including a counter for the quest steps (this script can be edited to change the locations of the text and sprite), it also contains a code to display text on screen to tell you the journal has updated, just place it in a dynamic, always active entity.
3 - simplequestpickup.lua : This is the pickup script for quest items, just put it in an entity and name it name,quest number,number of steps then place as many copies as there are steps listed, when items are picked up it progresses the quest.
4 - simplequestzone.lua : This is the trigger zone script for quest items, just put it in a trigger zone and name it name,quest number,number of steps then place as many copies as there are steps listed, when you enter the trigger zone it progresses the quest.
5 - simplequestcollect.lua : This is a collect script for quest items, just put it in an entity and name it name,quest number,number of steps then place as many copies as there are steps listed, when you walk over the entity it progresses the quest.

I've tried to make it as easy to use as possible, and will be available as soon as i am satisfied it is working well enough to distribute.

Important: Because you have to edit the scripts for the quest descriptions this system will only work on one map per simplequest.lua, if you want to use a different set of quests on a different map you will need to create another folder in the scriptbank, copy simplequest.lua into the new folder, and use it from there in the new map.


New video will be up as soon as i have time to record one.

As well as the above, i will be working on integrating the stock AI scripts into this system, as well as a simplequestwinzone script. I'm also in the process of making my own zone markers (these will have to live in the entitybank because for some reason GG doesn't read custom markers from the _markers folder), and a few generic pickup items (gems, stars, question marks, coins etc.).

Please Note: This quest chain system is just a series of user editable tasks, there's no provision for rewards or effecting anything else, all it does is update progression along the quest chain in the journal, if people want anything more than that then they'll have to do it themselves, that's a little more advanced than i can do, and outside the scope of this project, all i'm trying to achieve is a very basic, user friendly system, that users can use as a base to work from.

Is there a way of working out which level you are currently in from Lua?

Answered my own question:



That gives you the name of the current level.

So what you ask? Well it means that you can create a Lua list keyed by levelname so you don't need different scripts for each level.

For example:

This will be so cool when it's ready. Thanks guy's

Looks interesting, i'm not entirely sure how, or even if that will fit into my scripts though, i don't exactly understand what is going on there at all. I'll have a think on it, if i can't work it out can i send you my current scripts and get some tips on how to implement it?

Also, i think they will still have to occasionally use copies of the scripts for different maps, because if they create a game they won't want all the quests for levels from another game they created to be included in the new games scriptbank.

The script containing the quest info would be separate from the scripts containing the quest logic, so the user would edit that separate script rather than have to risk breaking the functionality of the system.

I can certainly 'tart up' the scripts for you.

That's kind of how i have it already.



then the journal script displays them (and displays a timed message when the quest progresses) in a panel when J is pressed, and the pickup/collect/zone scripts progress the g_qid variable using the parameters in the name field of the entity

Changed the simplequestcollect script name to simplequestpickup and added another script called simplequestcollect.lua.

5 - simplequestcollect.lua : This is a collect script for quest items, just put it in an entity and name it name,quest number,number of steps then place as many copies as there are steps listed, when you walk over the entity it progresses the quest.

Sounds interesting,good luck with you progress

Dave

Thanks Belidos. I'm sure we will all be very supportive of great new features like this! As you mention, I could see this evolving into racking up points for finding the items or eliminating "___x___" entity. Nice work.

It could do, and it wouldn't be too hard to do, but i won't be adding that, i'm trying to keep it to a basic, easy to use level that users can improve on themselves, following the ethos of GameGuru which is "you can make a game from default, but if you want something more advanced you will need to script".

Thank you for all it's explanations.
I think it's going to be great.


Intel Pentium CPU G3220 3.000 GHz , 8 GB Ram , NVIDIA GeForce GTX 745 2GB 1920 x 1080 , Windows 10 64-bit.
GameGuru , S2Engine HD , Shoot EM Up , CopperCube 6 , Clicteam Fusion 2.5 , Platfinity .

Update:

I've cut down the number of scripts needed, now there is only:

1- simplequestcontrol.lua : This is the script that handles the quest descriptions (you will need to edit this script and enter your quest descriptions in the available sections), just place it in a dynamic, always active entity.
2 - simplequestjournal.lua : This handles displaying the quest journal when you press J, listing the descriptions from simplequest.lua on a sprite background, including a counter for the quest steps (this script can be edited to change the locations of the text and sprite), it also contains a code to display text on screen to tell you the journal has updated, just place it in a dynamic, always active entity.
3 - simplequest.lua : This is the main quest script for quest items, just put it in an entity and name it name,quest number,number of steps, quest type then place as many copies as there are steps listed, when items are picked up it progresses the quest.

The quest types for the 4th parameter in the name are:

1: Pickup - Items will prompt you to press [E] to collect them.
2: Collect - Items will be automatically collected when you walk over them.
3: Trigger Zone - Works with a trigger zone marker to update the quest log when you enter the area (note this option will only work in a zone marker).
4: Win Zone - Works with the winzone marker to update the quest and load the next level (note this option will only work in a zone marker).

Grrr, somehow developed trigger finger on my middle finger of my right hand, it's locked bent, extremely difficult to use mouse, might be a few more days before i can get back to this.

Good luck with this. It's not as easy as you would think to make automated quests in GG - at least easy to use ones. It sounds like you have it well on the way though Your hand sounds nasty Hope it de-locks soon.

Thanks Dvader, still working hard on them.

Took some time out to add some models to the quest pack, what's a quest without items to collect eh?

(They're all animated to spin)

nice work. Looking forward to this!

Just waiting for my hand to sort itself out then i will finish off what i have, then pass it to a couple of testers i have lined up, plus amenmoses for final tidy up pf the code.

Just a final tidy up, not sure I can restrain myself that much ….

Cheers Amen, I've sent you what i have done so far (including the entities i've made for this) in a PM, it all seems to work fine, however i have an issue with a recent addition, i've added to the quest object scripts a simple score system, you a 5th variable to the name field which is the number of points you want to score them for that quest and the jorunal script displays your current score at the top of the screen, however for some reason the number being updated to the score is not the same number as in the name field, for example if i set the points to 1 in the name field, when it triggers it updates it by 4, and if i put 10 in the name field, it updates it by 22. I'm stumped, and would be grateful if you could take a look and let me know where i went wrong.

Try this.

Thanks amen, ill check it in the morning when i can get to a pc.

How was my scripting? I know it's not elegant but I'm quite proud of it considering I'm not a coder/scripter

Reasonable.

OK tested it, you've fixed the score points, yay, however you seem to have broken the rest of it lol, it doesn't move on to the next quest in the chain any more.

Oops, put the elseif in the wrong place, try this one.

Nope, still no go, i put a debug text display in the journal to show the current g_qid and it looks like g_qid = g_qid + 1 isn't increasing g_qid as it just stays on 1.

OK i think i fixed it, it was the multicurrent flag, for some reason it didn't like it being set to zero, so i've had to set it to 1, and then read it to text as g_multicurrent - 1 to get the right count.

Hi. I've checked out your scripts and have fixed the score issue, although after reading the above posts not sure you need it. I messaged you the solution earlier. Literally 3 lines of code and you have to remove 2 of your lines, so 1 extra in total As far as I am aware it works fine, but can't test further until you answer the question I messaged you about

It's looking good so far and I'm sure many people will be using it when it's 100%

Edit - Oh sorry for the delay in properly looking at it. I've had some rl issues for the last week or so. I fixed the score thing a few minutes after seeing it, so feel bad for taking so long to actually look at it properly.

Thanks DVader, yeah i answered your PM, i'd already fixed (well Amen had) the scoring issue, he used a slightly different method to yours though, i just hadn't given you the updated version yet. As to your question about usage...

The quest step part isn't an ascending list of the steps (ie 1st 2nd 3rd), it's the total steps. So if for example you need one of your quests to have 3 steps, you put 3 in the step variable in all three entities (this is why there was separate if statements with similar stuff in them, one for moving from step to step and one for finishing the final step).

So for example:

Five entities on the map:

Entity 1: name,1,1,1,100
Entity 2: name,2,3,1,100
Entity 3: name,2,3,1,100
Entity 4: name,2,3,1,100
Entity 5: name,3,1,3,100

This would make the first task to pick up one entity, then the second task would be to pick up three entities, then the last task would be to enter a trigger zone, and for each task and step you will get 100 points.

So all 3 of your entities for the multi-step task in your example should have been name,2,3,1,100

( name,quest id,total number of steps,type of task,points )

For multi-step tasks you can have different variables in the task type and points slots, but the quest id and the number of steps must be the same for all entities in that quest, for example if entities 2, 3 and 4 were like this:

Entity 2: name,2,3,1,50
Entity 3: name,2,3,2,100
Entity 4: name,2,3,3,200

You would have to pickup an object for 50 points, walk over an object for 100 points, and enter a trigger zone for 200 points, in any order for that task.

I've been trying to make it as easy as possible, but i don't think i can get it any easier without having an editor inside gameguru for it, i'm not that good at scripting.

Currently i am happy with the way it is working, so i'll be tidying up the code a little, and adding annotations and instructions, and once i've created an understandable set of instructions i will be uploading it here, i will also send it to Lee to see if he's happy to have it included with GameGuru.

No changes have been made since the last additions, apart from some tidying up, and things seem to be working fine so far, i just have a little more testing to do, and i will hopefully be uploading and releasing the scripts in the first post sometime this weekend all being well.

I'm pleased to announce that the first release of the Simple Quest system is now uploaded in the first post, instructions are in the same post, i hope they're understandable.

I've tried to make it as easy as i can, with as little script editing as possible, however you will need to edit the simpleqestgcontrol script to add your quest descriptions, and you will need to create a folder and copy that script into it for each new level to avoid overwriting the previous one.

I've also added a demo map so you can see it in action, this map was made with the DX9 version of GameGuru (only version i have available at work) so may not work on the latest version of GameGuru, i will create another map sometime soon on the DX11 version and add it to the zip at a later date.

If you have any issues or questions please feel free to ask them, i can't guarantee i will answer, or if i do answer you will like what i have to say, but feel free to dig in and ask

Note: If the DX9 map doesn't work on your DX11 version of GameGuru, it doesn't mean that the quest system won't work, it's just the demo map that may not work.

Credits: Much appreciation goes out to AmenMoses, Smallg, and DVader for their invaluable help while i was scripting this system.

really awesome will check this out for sure ! thanks all of you !

Glad you got it finished ,nice job

Dave

Nice. I gotta try it.

Cheers guys, i'd love to know how you got on with it, and if you have any issues. Are the instructions clear enough?

I found an error in the original script upload, so u have uploaded a new one, and also included a version of the demo map saved in the DX11 version of gameguru.

im playing around with it now.
i am such a noob, trying to understand all this lol, have yet to get it work though, but thats just me having to read through steps 100 times

I was looking for a way to talk to a NPC, which gives me this quest, and also tells me that i can press J to open journal.
Would i add the "simplequestcontrol" in "if used" line on the npc, in order to have the script activated? and then set the entity which does carry that script to -always active = off?

Edit:
Seems to work mostly fine.
However im gonna pick 15 mushrooms.
I want to pick 15 mushrooms, but there is a point system.
So after i picked my first mushroom i get 6 in score, second, 13 in score total, and third mushroom caps at 15 score, and the rest cant be picked up.

With regards to adding it to an NPC, you would have to create a script to incorporate it, this set of scripts is not designed for that, it's just a basic quest chain with simple scoring system, anything more than that needed is up to users to script themselves.

As to the issue you are having with counting the steps, i'm not sure, it's working fine for me, you have probably not filled out the name field correctly.

it would need to be:

Mushroom,1,15,1,1

That would make your first quest to collect 15 mushrooms by picking them up, and would give you 1 point per mushroom.

Note: Do not put spaces before or after the commas, and the control, and journal scripts MUST be in an "always active" entity set to dynamic (static = no)

If you don't want the score to display, go into the simplequestjournal.lua file and comment out line 46 (add -- to the beginning of the line)

"Mushroom,1,15,1,1"
exactly what i did, i guess i probably messed up somewhere else, ill remove everything and try doing it over again

This is a fantastic script that I will be using! Thanks Belidos!

Let me know if it still works, I haven't tried it for a while and I'm not sure if anything has changed.