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NeverTris: High Fantasy Tetris

Profile by Jay Watamaniuk

With the many persistent world profiles we have done, PWs do seem to be the game of choice for many Neverwinter Nights players. However, this week I wanted to return to our bizarro roots with a profile about Neverwinter Tetris. Primogenitor has created a finely crafted game of Tetris that can be added to any module for an interesting diversion in any adventure. We spoke with Primogenitor about his bizarre genius and his future plans for another project that he works on, the Player Resource Consortium (PRC).

Where can I grab NeverTris?

For NeverTris itself, the files are hosted on NWVault.

There is one caveat to using it; 1.67 beta 3 or higher is required as I use some of the new script functionality. Other than that, there are no particularly special instructions for installation, though I would suggest you read the included NeverTris.pdf file just to make sure it's installed correctly. There is an included demo module you can play around in to get a feel of what can be done, but it's best used by other builders who can integrate it into their module. There are brief instructions for adding it to a pre-existing module for anyone that wants them.

Also included is an optional hak and music files, for the authentic touch. ;) There is no requirement to use this--it is up to the player/builder. Personally, I have the main theme on my cell phone. It's artificial, vaguely familiar without being recognizable, and rather annoying; perfect for a ring tone!

Tetris? Tetris?! I was pretty stunned when I plugged the thing in and started playing. Very, very cool. What spawn of the underworld possessed you to do such a thing?

Well, the thought process started from someone's post in the Custom Content forum on the BioWare website shortly after the first 1.67 beta was released. They were asking about changing the GUI to basically create a new RPG ruleset, and the natural answer was, "No way; don't be silly you can't do that!" But it gnawed away at the back of my brain, and after awhile I started to wonder how much you could get done, particularly with all the new features 1.67 has made available.

Once I convinced myself that at least a partial system would be possible, I needed something for a demonstration that was quite simple to do as well as being very familiar, so people could understand what it was supposed to be. Tetris seemed to fill both of those criteria, as well as just being plain old fun!

Clearly you have too much aluminum in your diet or were given super-powers by a meteorite. Can you take those of us who are technically inclined through the highlights of how you created this?

One major component is the OnClick event for placeables. This event happens instantly, regardless of how far the player is from the placeable, what they are currently doing, or what is in the way. This is much the same as the instant feat functionality that was added in 1.66 but without the player having to navigate through the radial menu.

The other thing that it uses is the extra functionality of cutscene mode to prevent players using the radial menu or quickslots, yet still allow players to left-click on things to interact with or to move on the ground. On top of that, it's pretty much "standard" scripting. Each of the placeables signals a user-defined event to the area when clicked (with a certain "rest period" so you can't just keep clicking) and the blocks signal an event when they are in position. This means all the major work is in just one script and one include file, which is nice and neat and shouldn't interfere with anything.

Did you use some gizmos from the community to help with this project?

I didn't use any other work for this project, mainly in the aim of keeping it clean and small. The community is great though, and I certainly wouldn't be able to script without learning from all the great tutorials and reference tools that are available. Plus, of course, I wouldn't have had the idea for this in the first place!

One community project that also makes great use of the new 1.67 OnClick functionality is Vulcano's Bard Studio. This uses a giant keyboard to allow players to record music in "real time," which bards can then play back at any point in the future!

If you could change one thing about the Toolset what would that be?

How about a way to test modules quickly? Ah, got that in 1.66.

What about a button to randomize the facing of placeables? No, that's been added in 1.67.

Hmm, there's not much else left. Probably being able to specify domains, spellschools, familiars, and animal companions for NPCs, but it's quite a struggle to think of things that could be done.

If you include scripting in that, then there is a clear winner. I'd sell my spleen for Get/SetHair/Skin/TattooColor() functions. There are just so many things that could be done with it, especially with the extra palette colors in 1.67. So many things in fact that I wrote a long list describing just some of the ideas I could use it for.

What can we expect from your giant brain in the future?

The NeverTris project is pretty much "done" as far as I'm concerned. I might do a small update in the future with some "block" creatures that can be used if desired, though that will be option if people don't want to use it. I'm also not planning on doing any other similar mini-game type projects. I'll leave it to others to developer NWMinesweeper, NWN-tac-toe, and the rest.

As part of the development team for the PRC, I've done a lot of work for version 3.0 (which should be finally ready by this coming weekend, 22nd/23rd April, after almost 2 years in development). This release contains a lot of things, the major highlights of which are:

• Full 3.5ed Psionics, including 4 new base classes, an assortment of prestige classes, and bucket loads of feats and powers. While this may sound similar to Mr. Nathan's psionics hak, this version is far larger in scope and uses 3.5 edition rules rather than 2nd edition.
• New spell books for those classes that should have them, such as Soldier of Light, Vassal of Bahmut, Ocular Adept, Blackguard, and others. This adds a great new tool that the PRC will be using in the future.
• Leadership and cohort system. This is basically the Pen and Paper equivalent of henchmen--associates that can assist the player when needed. However, for the PRC, you can choose from a vast selection of different types, covering all the playable races included in the PRC in all the original base classes. And if you can't find a suitable cohort from that selection, you can even take your own characters and convert them into potential cohorts! While this may sound similar to OHS, we've traded in the ability to use custom-made associates as player characters in the future for being able to exactly plan an associate's level up path.
• Optional switches. The PRC has always been about choice, now single players/builders can choose which variant rules they do or do not want to use. So for example, you could turn on multiple summons and limited summon duration, but choose not to use the stealth-friendly True seeing. Apart from the PRC, I've done and/or am doing a number of relatively small-scale projects that really test what can be done with NWN.
• A java application that generates random 3D terrain suitable for a world.
• Map. Video previews. Screenshot.
• A set of scripts that can randomly decorate an area, making sure things that should be along walls are along walls, etc., without having to pre-place.
• Waypoints around the area. Video preview.
• A Diablo-esque random item generator using 1.67s SetName functionality; several million possible items and counting. :)

Eventually, I'd love to develop an AI that can "evolve" to make best use of the content, much the same way that a community of players gradually learn what combinations are and are not effective at different tasks.

I'm sure I could go on listing what things I'd like to do. Suffice it to say that I'm not going to be bored any time soon!

Related Links

• Players Resource Consortium homepage
• Adding Chess to NWN
• All about Alexey Pazhitnov creator of Tetris

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