Greetings! I have a few questions...

[Archaaz]

...if anyone would care to indulge me.

I am long time fan of Ultima and Ultima Online. I played UO back in 1997-98, and have returned on occasion to both it and various free shards over the years. I am recently retired, and recently got it into my head to possibly create a shard of my own, mostly as a bit of a hobby, but also to realize a very specific vision I have for a shard, and possibly attract a few like-minded individuals. Sort of a homage to the old single player games.

First off, I have no programming or scripting experience beyond a bit of Basic in my youth. I have been looking at RunUo as well, and am trying to compare the two, to see which is the better choice. I am also trying to gauge whether I am perhaps biting off too much, and would be better served finding another project to occupy my time. I do not mind a challenge, but there is a point at which I will have to draw the line. I have quite a few ideas, and have started a design doc on a wiki as a first step.

My intention is to create an enforced (but not hardcore) RP shard, PvE, possibly with PvP, with a lore very much based on the single player series, specifically 3-5. After having played briefly on a quite few private shards, I have found a lot of things I do not care for (neons, fast skills gains, easy starting gold, exotic mounts, elves, gargoyles, the entire Samurai expansion, etc.). I very much like the old world, more realistic aesthetic of Pre-T2A, UO:R, as well as the slower skill gains, no help/new player system, no quests, and just a generally more difficult environment. I want that old feeling of accomplishment. I recently tried the shard In Por Ylem, which brought back that old nostalgia and thrill.

I want to limit the map to only the original area of Britannia, but with a few custom islands and other features included based on the single player games. I also want to limit the world to only either the Trammel or Felucca facet (depending on whether I decide to make the PvP consensual or not). As a player of the original game, I hate what Trammel did the the game, but think it might work for what I have in mind.

Finally, I want to do something with the virtues, as well as the original professions (including adding something for Paladins and Druids), and discouraging the ubiquitous tank/mage combo, but without implementing a class system. I realize that there is a Chivalry system, as well as Spellweaving, which might work for Druids (and there is a Druid magic script for RunUo), though I worry about balancing issues with mixing newer elements with an earlier version of the game.

Anyway, my question is, how difficult would this be using POL? From my understanding of RunUo, it is quite a feat attempting to create a Pre-T2A, or even UO:R environment. It would be nice to at least have that general era as a base starting point (perhaps there is open source code available from a shard) from which to develop the the other features.

Thanks in advance. Sorry for the newbie-ness of my post, but the more I research this, the more confused I seem to become. It is rather overwhelming.

[Yukiko]

Archaaz,

If I were going to recommend an Ultima emulator to someone with limited or no previous programming experience I would definitely recommend POL over RunUO. In my not so humble opinion RunUOs programming language (C# if I remember correctly) is not as easy to pick-up as is eScript, the scripting language that is used with POL. One thing that I didn't like about C# was that it seemed there was so much, I don't know what to call it... wrapping that was required to create a script for RunUO.

This was a few years ago but I can tell you that one of my sons, who was 15 at the time, was able to create a fairly complicated script that opened a gump and played music based on the users choice from the gump and he had no prior programming experience at all using eScript. Since you have some experience with BASIC you atleast have a general understanding of program flow, variables etc. So you should be able to pick-up eScript fairly easy. I understand your programming "muscles" may be out of shape though so it may take you a little longer to get back into the swing of things.

As to the world you want to create, you can certainly create a one or two map world with POL. You can make skill gains as slow or as fast as you want. I, like you, am not fond of class systems. One of the challenges you might have with the current Distro for POL is that it does have a class system so you'd have to remove that which would require becoming familiar with how it is woven into the skill/combat systems and other places where class would affect gameplay. If you are only interested in a one map world and you aren't interested in support for the elven and gargoyle races you might want to consider using the 0.95 version of POL. It is no longer supported by the developers but the Distro for that version was a basic no frills server. There was no class system, no custom hides, leather or ores. From what I was told it was close to the original Origin Systems shard. Keep in mind that if you ever want to expand to a multi-map world there would be a lot of work to convert it to handle multiple maps. Also, you would definitely need to find a client compatible with that version of the POL server (pol.exe). I think anything from version 2 to version 4 would work; 4 being the preferred. I started out back with POL 0.94 and have gone through the "fun" of converting those old scripts to handle multi-maps. I can tell you it is not for the feint of heart. However, after you've had some time to learn scripting and you decide you want to add more maps to your world you should be prepared for the challenge.

I want to say here that I used to find it odd that the old Distros (0.95 and earlier) were so basic in what they had to offer. In fact it was a bit frustrating. But I have come to appreciate the philosophy of the developers back then. They gave you a playable game that you could add to but didn't come with extra stuff that you might not want.

You might be able to find a converted (to handle multi-maps) version 0.95 set of scripts if you want the simple basic shard and the option of multiple worlds. There might be a set here on the forums under "complete worlds".

I hope I was of help to you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Oh and one other thing, I'm glad to see that you are aiming more toward an RP based shard and not a hack 'n slash environment. To be honest I always found the NPCs to be challenge enough. Then again I am not a three handed power gamer. : )

[Archaaz]

Archaaz,

If I were going to recommend an Ultima emulator to someone with limited or no previous programming experience I would definitely recommend POL over RunUO. In my not so humble opinion RunUOs programming language (C# if I remember correctly) is not as easy to pick-up as is eScript, the scripting language that is used with POL. One thing that I didn't like about C# was that it seemed there was so much, I don't know what to call it... wrapping that was required to create a script for RunUO.

First off, thank you for your prompt and insightful post. I find C# to be rather daunting, to say the least. eScript may be more in my league. I would actually enjoy learning a language, though I fear the learning curve for C#, in addition to learning how to apply it to RunUo, may be rather steep. Unfortunately, RunUO has quite a few scripts which would work well with my shard, though they can likely be implemented in eScript as well.

This was a few years ago but I can tell you that one of my sons, who was 15 at the time, was able to create a fairly complicated script that opened a gump and played music based on the users choice from the gump and he had no prior programming experience at all using eScript. Since you have some experience with BASIC you atleast have a general understanding of program flow, variables etc. So you should be able to pick-up eScript fairly easy. I understand your programming "muscles" may be out of shape though so it may take you a little longer to get back into the swing of things.

I fear my programming muscles have long since atrophied, if they ever existed. My BASIC programs were generally pretty clumsy, though I was not entirely inept, and made a few, somewhat buggy RPGs. I wish I were fifteen again, with a fifteen years old's focus and imagination. Kudos to your son, that is amazing.

As to the world you want to create, you can certainly create a one or two map world with POL. You can make skill gains as slow or as fast as you want. I, like you, am not fond of class systems. One of the challenges you might have with the current Distro for POL is that it does have a class system so you'd have to remove that which would require becoming familiar with how it is woven into the skill/combat systems and other places where class would affect gameplay. If you are only interested in a one map world and you aren't interested in support for the elven and gargoyle races you might want to consider using the 0.95 version of POL. It is no longer supported by the developers but the Distro for that version was a basic no frills server. There was no class system, no custom hides, leather or ores. From what I was told it was close to the original Origin Systems shard. Keep in mind that if you ever want to expand to a multi-map world there would be a lot of work to convert it to handle multiple maps. Also, you would definitely need to find a client compatible with that version of the POL server (pol.exe). I think anything from version 2 to version 4 would work; 4 being the preferred. I started out back with POL 0.94 and have gone through the "fun" of converting those old scripts to handle multi-maps. I can tell you it is not for the feint of heart. However, after you've had some time to learn scripting and you decide you want to add more maps to your world you should be prepared for the challenge.

Version 0.95 sounds like a strong contender. I do not think I will want to expand the world to include other maps. I know the answer to this is likely no, but is it possible to increase the map size of the Britannia map? For some reason I prefer the notion of one continuous map, with no areas connected by gates (in much the same way I do not like instances and zones in MMORPGs). I also want to make everything a bit more 'local" by disabling Recall and Gate (both the spell and scrolls), and to rely only on the eight Moongates, walking, and riding (horses only).

There are a few areas of the current map I will likely modify/remake to fit the original lore (such as Occlo, and Nu'jelom), turning them into other locations (and also a few areas I want to add). I want the world to be immersive, above all, and immersive in a very Ultima way. I wish I had access to UO's originally planned, fully functioning ecology system, which was scrapped due to the amount of players making it obsolete because they kept killing everything.

If you do not mind my asking what is the current class system in POL? Do you pick a class and are stuck with it? Or is it more in keeping with the character creation template system in UO? I love the elegance of UO's skills system, the freedom it allows. My notion is to maintain that freedom of choice, but to curtail it somewhat to accommodate the eight original professions of the Ultima series. I want to do so in a more organic way than by forcing a player into one narrow role with such and such skills and abilities available. For example, I would like magery to decrease by a certain percentage for each piece of armor worn (except for cloth armor and padded cloth armor, which I would implement), and to have the penalty increase according to how heavy the armor is, for as long as that armor is worn. And to likewise have it decrease incrementally and permanently as weapon skills other than staves and daggers are increased. I would love to extrapolate upon this, but do not want to impose upon your time.

I want to say here that I used to find it odd that the old Distros (0.95 and earlier) were so basic in what they had to offer. In fact it was a bit frustrating. But I have come to appreciate the philosophy of the developers back then. They gave you a playable game that you could add to but didn't come with extra stuff that you might not want.

I also like this notion. I think it may ultimately (no pun intended) be easier to add features than to have to pour through code trying to remove/disable what does not fit, and then worry about tweaking balance issues. Is there a way to pick which distro you use, and a list of eras/features supported by those distros? Also, do you need a different script/program to spawn the world (as with RunUo)?

You might be able to find a converted (to handle multi-maps) version 0.95 set of scripts if you want the simple basic shard and the option of multiple worlds. There might be a set here on the forums under "complete worlds".

Again, I do not think a multi-map capability will be necessary. I do not expect my shard to attract an enormous amount of players. Thus I want a smaller area in which to play, but not so small that it becomes constricting (such as limiting it to one or a couple of cities). I have a few friends into RP who might want to try it, but other than that it will really mostly speak to die-hard RP/Ultima fans. I want to remove a lot of the more "gamey" elements, and make it less about focusing on the "end-game" and more about roleplaying within a shard based on the Ultima canon lore, with some slight modifications. I am currently considering a time frame of roughly directly following the events of Ultima V.

I hope I was of help to you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

You were indeed of immense help, thank you so very much. I do actually have a few questions related to feature I wish to implement, to see if they can be implemented, how difficult it might be (if it is possible at all), and if a script, or perhaps program, already exists...partially just to run these ideas by someone other than myself, particularly someone(s) with experience. I am not sure if this is the correct sub-forum for them, and I likewise do not wish to inundate you and others with such questions. If you, and perhaps others, would not mind indulging me, it would be nice to pose such questions here or in a more appropriate part of the forums.

Oh and one other thing, I'm glad to see that you are aiming more toward an RP based shard and not a hack 'n slash environment. To be honest I always found the NPCs to be challenge enough. Then again I am not a three handed power gamer. : )

Thanks! I was never much of a PvPer when I played the original UO, partly because my internet connection at that time was so horrific I could barely PvE, much less PvP. If there were more than a couple characters on screen, I could often could barely even walk. Even without that, I doubt I would be a very good PvPer. Like you, I am not much of a power gamer. That said, I very much liked the thrill that open PvP imparted. Every venture out of town was a true adventure. There was always a certain exhilaration to it all that added immensely to the game.

I am a RPer at heart, and a die-hard fan of the Ultima lore. I have tried a few RP shards, but none have quite fit the aesthetic and gameplay I am looking for. There is always either little or no community, or some issue with gameplay; often somethings with the skills system (or even implementation of a level-based system...gods why?!), inability to be self-sufficient, a lack of places to hunt, etc. Despite my comment regarding the level based system, I regard all such systems are valid, it simply depends on the vision of the developers (or the will of the players, or both).

Again, thanks for your response.

[Damien]

You are welcome to #pol irc-channel in darkmyst.org server and make a chat with me (Damien/Robin) and I could provide help regarding questions about eScript and make some simple example-scripts for you

Greetings from Damien

[Yukiko]

Version 0.95 sounds like a strong contender. I do not think I will want to expand the world to include other maps. I know the answer to this is likely no, but is it possible to increase the map size of the Britannia map? For some reason I prefer the notion of one continuous map, with no areas connected by gates (in much the same way I do not like instances and zones in MMORPGs). I also want to make everything a bit more 'local" by disabling Recall and Gate (both the spell and scrolls), and to rely only on the eight Moongates, walking, and riding (horses only).

Currently there are only two map sizes for map0.mul (Felucca) that can be used; the original size - 6144 wide by 4096 high and the expanded Mondain's Legacy map - 7166 wide by 4096 high. POL does not support instancing or zoning so no problem there. The gate and recal magic can be disabled but without editing the client files you will have blank lines in the spellbook where the Mark, Recall and Gate spells would normally be listed. Perhaps to avoid the untidu appearance of blank lines you could make using the teleportation spells less appealing by causing nasty creatures to be "summoned" from the ethereal planes at the origin and destination of such spells. I once played a shard that, due to a bug in POL 0.92 I think it was, had the entire datafiles corrupted and during the rebuild of the world the developer implemented that very isea to prevent players from getting curious and going to parts of the map that were still under construction. Another idea might be to only allow teleporting in very limited areas or you could just leave the scrolls to be found in the world but just create a story that for whatever reason "the gods will not allow such powerful magicks to be cast". As to the moongates, you can script them to work however you like. Having never played on the official OSI shards I don't know how they worked in the original game.

There are a few areas of the current map I will likely modify/remake to fit the original lore (such as Occlo, and Nu'jelom), turning them into other locations (and also a few areas I want to add). I want the world to be immersive, above all, and immersive in a very Ultima way. I wish I had access to UO's originally planned, fully functioning ecology system, which was scrapped due to the amount of players making it obsolete because they kept killing everything.

Map editing is a whole different matter from scripting. There are a few good tools available for making changes to the map(s) but they are written by volunteers and each one has its own quirks. If/when you are interested in editing the map I can provide the tools and some help. I have done some map editing and importing of some of the original locales into my custom map but the process wasn't perfect and I had some "cleaning-up" to do afterwards.

If you do not mind my asking what is the current class system in POL? Do you pick a class and are stuck with it? Or is it more in keeping with the character creation template system in UO? I love the elegance of UO's skills system, the freedom it allows. My notion is to maintain that freedom of choice, but to curtail it somewhat to accommodate the eight original professions of the Ultima series. I want to do so in a more organic way than by forcing a player into one narrow role with such and such skills and abilities available. For example, I would like magery to decrease by a certain percentage for each piece of armor worn (except for cloth armor and padded cloth armor, which I would implement), and to have the penalty increase according to how heavy the armor is, for as long as that armor is worn. And to likewise have it decrease incrementally and permanently as weapon skills other than staves and daggers are increased. I would love to extrapolate upon this, but do not want to impose upon your time.

I am ignorant regarding the class system implemented in the POL 0.98 Distro. I am using scripts based on the 0.95 Distro that have been converted to allow multi-map support along with other modifications. I believe however that it is what you might consider a "traditional" class system in which a player pick a "profession" and she is limited within that profession which skills are available to her. I tend to agree with you that the original skill system seems to allow more freedom withing certain boundaries. The original POL Distros allowed a player to choose any set of skills he wanted as long as the aggregate skill points did not exceed 700 and the aggregate stat points did not exceed 225. So a mage could learn swords, carpentry, magery, anatomy, begging, fishing, alchemy and build meditation as long as the combined total of those skill points were 700 or below. That aggregate value could be changed to any value you prefer. The armour restrictions you mention are fairly easily scripted.

Is there a way to pick which distro you use, and a list of eras/features supported by those distros? Also, do you need a different script/program to spawn the world (as with RunUo)?

As far as I understand it the original Distro (pre 0.96) was designed to allow basic gameplay, ie. combat, all skills except stealing and snooping, all the basic 64 magery spells, AI (artificial intelligence) for the NPCs and a hunger system. There are other features too but that will give you an idea of what it supported. Due to various factors there was no Distro for POL 0.96 to sometime after the release of POL 0.98 until Edwards donated his Fantasia Shard scripts to the community and Austin approved it as the official Distro for POL 0.98. The current Distro is not based on UO lore as far as I know other than it takes place in the UO world and has the basic functionality I described but with the addition of the class system and other skill systems and features. Again though, I haven't looked too deeply at it so I am most likely not doing justice to what it has to offer. I believe it was originally based on the Zulu Hotel shard project but updated and converted to the current version of POL with additional features added by Edwards and others.

Spawning the world is accomplished manually by logging in as a Game Master (GM) or higher and creating Spawn Points for targetted spawns or by using the Region Spawner to spawn large regions of the map. I think I might have the data file for the original map. If so that would save you some time because it has all the doors and decorations already in the world datafile.

I should take a moment to explain how POL operates. There are two parts to running the POL emulator. There is what has come to be known as the "core" and then there are the scripts. The core is in reality a virtual machine. The scripts compile to a pseudo-code that the core understands and the core executes the compiled scripts as if it were a real computer. My explanation is not totally accurate nor does it completely describe what a virtual machine is. I give it only to explain that one set of scripts written for one version of the core most likely are not interchangable with another version of the core. This is especially true with scripts prior to POL 0.96. POL 0.96 is the version where multiple map support was added among other things. Also, I use the term "Distro" here to mean the official set of scripts needed to run a working shard/server as decided by the POL development team.

You cannot use the current POL core (the emulator) with the 0.95 Distro. You have to use the POL 0.95 core with the 0.95 Distro scripts. I am not sure if the POL 0.95 emulator and Distro are still available for download from polserver.com but if not I have both the 0.95 core and the 0.95 Distro.

If you can get a 0.95 version of the Distro that has been converted to run with the current official version of POL that would be the best because many map related issues and bugs have been fixed. Also, new features have been added to the core that allow more flexibility in scripting. I'll see if I have a converted set of scripts.

You were indeed of immense help, thank you so very much. I do actually have a few questions related to feature I wish to implement, to see if they can be implemented, how difficult it might be (if it is possible at all), and if a script, or perhaps program, already exists...partially just to run these ideas by someone other than myself, particularly someone(s) with experience. I am not sure if this is the correct sub-forum for them, and I likewise do not wish to inundate you and others with such questions. If you, and perhaps others, would not mind indulging me, it would be nice to pose such questions here or in a more appropriate part of the forums.

The forums are here for questions so have no fear of inundating us with them. The developers were kind enough to honour my request and create a design discussion forum. That might be the place to post general design questions. I am happy to offer help whenever possible. I am not the most skilled person but I have been at this for about 10 years now. I also have a large resource of POL scripts at my disposal.

I too am an RPer at heart and by RP I mean that you, the player, decide what your character is going to be in the world and how your character will interact in that world. It seems to me that Ultima Online is designed to make role play the foremost part of the game. Even the client is simple to use and doesn't get in the way of role play.

[Archaaz]

Currently there are only two map sizes for map0.mul (Felucca) that can be used; the original size - 6144 wide by 4096 high and the expanded Mondain's Legacy map - 7166 wide by 4096 high. POL does not support instancing or zoning so no problem there. The gate and recal magic can be disabled but without editing the client files you will have blank lines in the spellbook where the Mark, Recall and Gate spells would normally be listed. Perhaps to avoid the untidu appearance of blank lines you could make using the teleportation spells less appealing by causing nasty creatures to be "summoned" from the ethereal planes at the origin and destination of such spells. I once played a shard that, due to a bug in POL 0.92 I think it was, had the entire datafiles corrupted and during the rebuild of the world the developer implemented that very isea to prevent players from getting curious and going to parts of the map that were still under construction. Another idea might be to only allow teleporting in very limited areas or you could just leave the scrolls to be found in the world but just create a story that for whatever reason "the gods will not allow such powerful magicks to be cast". As to the moongates, you can script them to work however you like. Having never played on the official OSI shards I don't know how they worked in the original game.

Wow, that is a lot of options. I would not mind so much a few blank lines in the spell books. Perhaps not the prettiest or most consistent method, but I think the simplest. How difficult do you suppose it would be to rename a spell and give it different qualities?

Map editing is a whole different matter from scripting. There are a few good tools available for making changes to the map(s) but they are written by volunteers and each one has its own quirks. If/when you are interested in editing the map I can provide the tools and some help. I have done some map editing and importing of some of the original locales into my custom map but the process wasn't perfect and I had some "cleaning-up" to do afterwards.

Thank you, if I decide to embark upon this journey, I would definitely be interested in those links (and will probably have many more questions). I have researched a few such programs I saw on the RunUO forums. Would any of those work for POL? Also, are there any open source custom art repositories?

I am ignorant regarding the class system implemented in the POL 0.98 Distro. I am using scripts based on the 0.95 Distro that have been converted to allow multi-map support along with other modifications. I believe however that it is what you might consider a "traditional" class system in which a player pick a "profession" and she is limited within that profession which skills are available to her. I tend to agree with you that the original skill system seems to allow more freedom withing certain boundaries. The original POL Distros allowed a player to choose any set of skills he wanted as long as the aggregate skill points did not exceed 700 and the aggregate stat points did not exceed 225. So a mage could learn swords, carpentry, magery, anatomy, begging, fishing, alchemy and build meditation as long as the combined total of those skill points were 700 or below. That aggregate value could be changed to any value you prefer. The armour restrictions you mention are fairly easily scripted.

I cannot recall the old points spread for UO, but 700/225 sounds about right. I have explored a few shards which had a larger spread, and some which did not limit skill gain at all, thus allowing a character to max out all skills. I am not terribly fond of this idea, and much prefer a lower spread, thus forcing players to choose a few skills to master. I value diversity and teamwork greatly, and wish that UO had implemented even more skills.

As far as I understand it the original Distro (pre 0.96) was designed to allow basic gameplay, ie. combat, all skills except stealing and snooping, all the basic 64 magery spells, AI (artificial intelligence) for the NPCs and a hunger system. There are other features too but that will give you an idea of what it supported. Due to various factors there was no Distro for POL 0.96 to sometime after the release of POL 0.98 until Edwards donated his Fantasia Shard scripts to the community and Austin approved it as the official Distro for POL 0.98. The current Distro is not based on UO lore as far as I know other than it takes place in the UO world and has the basic functionality I described but with the addition of the class system and other skill systems and features. Again though, I haven't looked too deeply at it so I am most likely not doing justice to what it has to offer. I believe it was originally based on the Zulu Hotel shard project but updated and converted to the current version of POL with additional features added by Edwards and others.

How is the creature A.I.? On par with the official servers?

Spawning the world is accomplished manually by logging in as a Game Master (GM) or higher and creating Spawn Points for targetted spawns or by using the Region Spawner to spawn large regions of the map. I think I might have the data file for the original map. If so that would save you some time because it has all the doors and decorations already in the world datafile.

Does spawning also include NPCs, such as wandering healers and NPC townspeople, vendors, etc? Or are these generated in a different matter? What is meant by "doors and decorations"?

I should take a moment to explain how POL operates. There are two parts to running the POL emulator. There is what has come to be known as the "core" and then there are the scripts. The core is in reality a virtual machine. The scripts compile to a pseudo-code that the core understands and the core executes the compiled scripts as if it were a real computer. My explanation is not totally accurate nor does it completely describe what a virtual machine is. I give it only to explain that one set of scripts written for one version of the core most likely are not interchangable with another version of the core. This is especially true with scripts prior to POL 0.96. POL 0.96 is the version where multiple map support was added among other things. Also, I use the term "Distro" here to mean the official set of scripts needed to run a working shard/server as decided by the POL development team.

You cannot use the current POL core (the emulator) with the 0.95 Distro. You have to use the POL 0.95 core with the 0.95 Distro scripts. I am not sure if the POL 0.95 emulator and Distro are still available for download from polserver.com but if not I have both the 0.95 core and the 0.95 Distro.

If you can get a 0.95 version of the Distro that has been converted to run with the current official version of POL that would be the best because many map related issues and bugs have been fixed. Also, new features have been added to the core that allow more flexibility in scripting. I'll see if I have a converted set of scripts.

Thanks!

The forums are here for questions so have no fear of inundating us with them. The developers were kind enough to honour my request and create a design discussion forum. That might be the place to post general design questions. I am happy to offer help whenever possible. I am not the most skilled person but I have been at this for about 10 years now. I also have a large resource of POL scripts at my disposal.

Thanks again. Questions are something I have in seemingly endless supply. I will mosey over there and make a post or two. At this point I am just trying to determine the feasibility of my project. It is still a bit nebulous to me, but you are helping to clarify things.

I too am an RPer at heart and by RP I mean that you, the player, decide what your character is going to be in the world and how your character will interact in that world. It seems to me that Ultima Online is designed to make role play the foremost part of the game. Even the client is simple to use and doesn't get in the way of role play.

I agree, UO is the best platform for role-play that I have tried. Thanks again for your help and thorough explanations.

[Yukiko]

How difficult do you suppose it would be to rename a spell and give it different qualities?

Actually, it might not be that hard to rename the spells. It appears that the spell names are stored in the cliloc file. You can view and edit this file using the fine utility created by Turley, UOFiddler. I wasn't aware of this until I looked into it in response to your question. As for creating new spell effects to replace the three spells in question, that is simply a matter of writing a script to create the desired effect. For example, let's say you wanted to have the recall spell replaced with a spell that makes a character turn blue for 2 minutes you would just write the script and make a change in a configuration file replacing the name of the recall script with your new "turnblue" script. You would have to figure out the correct power words for that spell since "Kal Ort Por" refers to "powerful teleporting" I believe or something toi that effect. You enter those words int the same config file mentioned above and, assuming you don't want to fiddle with mana used that's about it. Fortunately, that is pretty easy since the spell system was redesigned to allow much of the characteristics of spells to be held in a config file rather than having each script hold things such a mana required, targetting method, power words etc.

Here is the way the recall spell is defined in the spells.cfg file on my shard:

Code: Select all

Spell 32
{
	SpellId		32
	Name		Recall
	Script		castSpell
	SpellScript	spells/circle4/recall

   Attribute       Magery
	Difficulty	55
	ManaCost	11
	Delay		500
	Target		direct
	CheckLOS	1
	Noto	neutral
	Prompt Select an object to recall from.
	PowerWords	Kal Ort Por
	Circle		4

	SFX 0x1FD
	GFXType 0
	GFX
	
	RegCost		BlackPearl	1
	RegCost		BloodMoss	1
	RegCost		MandrakeRoot	1
}

Would any of those work for POL? Also, are there any open source custom art repositories?

As I recall, some of the editing utilities for RunUO require a RunUO server to work properly. I use a couple editors for my map. Both were created by a fellow named Punt. One of the programs, WFMulti, allows the creation of structures or even whole areas that can be saved and pasted into a map using his other program, the map editor. You can also use WFMulti to replace one of the standard multis (such as the deeded houses) with your new creation. I've never actually done that so I don't know if it is buggy or not. Punt no longer develops the programs but I have found an updated version of his map editor, I believe on the RunUO forums, where the new developer may still be adding improvements. As for open source or creative commons artwork, I used to know of a site that had a lot of different artwork and gumps. I'll see if I can find it.

How is the creature A.I.? On par with the official servers?

I have never played the official servers so I can't say how the AIs compare. The POL scripted AI isn't bad. I was told by a POL developer way back when I got involved with developing my shard that POL had been designed to emulate the OSI servers that were operating at that time. That was somewhere around 2001 I think. So I would assume that the AI was comparable to OSI back then.

Does spawning also include NPCs, such as wandering healers and NPC townspeople, vendors, etc? Or are these generated in a different matter?

Yes spawning includes both human NPCs and non-human NPCs. The term NPC is generally meant to refer to any creature, humanoid or not, that is controlled by AI scripts.

What is meant by "doors and decorations"?

Hmm.. yes I guess I did confuse things a bit by including items in the spawning discussion. I should have phrased my answer to say that the datafile I have includes both spawn data for NPCs and also item data such as doors and other decor, for example lamp posts and such. Sorry for the confusion.

[Archaaz]

You are welcome to #pol irc-channel in darkmyst.org server and make a chat with me (Damien/Robin) and I could provide help regarding questions about eScript and make some simple example-scripts for you

Greetings from Damien

Thanks Damien! I somehow missed this post. I will try that as soon as I have a bit more time.