Raising the Dead

[GothGirlDanielle]

I'm wondering how to allow the player to pick up a dead body. I'm thinking this will be done through scripts, but maybe there's a more efficient way. Here's what would happen:

1. Player fights NPC. NPC dies.

2. At the moment of NPC death, there is a cloud of color, a flash of light (some visual distraction or cover), and the NPC is removed from the game. This script would attach to the NPC (let's call it NPC script) and would require the initiation of visual effect, the removal of the NPC, and the insertion into the game of the "corpse". This should be doable in the same way that, when a player clicks a sigel stone, the flash of light appears.

3. When the light (or darkness) clears, there is a corpse or skeleton on the ground in front of the player. This corpse is NOT a dead npc (or creature if I use a skeleton). Rather, it's an item that the player can pick up, like a fork or a sword. Picked up, the item lists in the player's inventory, with a skull icon (make's perfect sense and I don't have to make an icon ). Next to it is the name of the item: "Body of GothGirl Danielle" or whatever. I don't think a script would be needed for this - I would just make the corpse, skeleton an item.

4. Player then approaches a crypt and places the item into the crypt, which is a container. The crypt would then seal, giving the player a message that the NPC has been placed to rest and the crypt has sealed. The script would lock the contain and instead of the "This lock requires a key" message, the messagebox would read: "This crypt is sealed and cannot be opened."

Does this seem like a logical way to do this? Unless I'm missing something, the scripts would be pretty basic, and it doesn't seem that complicated. But maybe it's more complicated than I think?

~ Dani ~

Edited November 12, 2010 by GothGirlDanielle

[Mishaxhi]

Sounds simple enough

However, are you going to be using a skeleton or a zombie for the corse? Using a skeleton might cause unforseen problems because of the way they die

Also, if you want the crypt to give that message instead of "This lock requires a key" I think you'll have to make it an activator rather than a container

So the script would look something like

-------------------

scn scriptnamehere

Begin OnActivate

if Player.GetItemCount corpse01 == 1

Player.RemoveItem corpse01 == 0

Messagebox "The corpse has been laid to rest"

else if

MessageBox "This crypt is sealed and cannot be opened"

endif

endif

End

-------------------

My syntax is probably off and there might be an easier way, but that's how I'd go about it

[GothGirlDanielle]

[snip]

That's a much, much better solution. It also prevents the player from inadvertently putting something else in the container, only to find it sealed up forever.

The player will fight or kill an NPC ... in fact, a specific, unique NPC (well, not a leveled list NPC). When the NPC dies, there needs to be a switch to removed the NPC and in that place put in an item. At first, I thought of just a unique skull, but that seemed kind of lame.

Then I thought of a variety of random bones - but the frustrating hilarity of a message box informing the player ... "Sorry, you cannot lay NPC to rest as you haven't yet collected all the body parts" ... um, I don't know, takes something away from the scene.

Also, as a story device, once the NPC is killed, their body will disintegrated into bones and dust (think vampire here ... although they are not vampires ...). So a skeleton seemed to fit the idea nicely. But you raise an interesting point: can an NPC/creature be an item? Skeletons have a variety of "parts", including meshes, textures, animations. Egggh. I'm guessing you can't make a "skeleton" item. Crap.

Maybe the skull - already an item - is just the best way to do it.

Thanks for the input.

~ Dani ~

[Mishaxhi]

Unless you made the actor a persistant reference

They you could have a script like this on the actor themself

-----------

scn scriptnamehere

Begin OnActivate

if actor01.GetDead == 1

Player.AddItem corpse01 1

Disable actor01

endif

End

----------------

With this there'd be no need for a switch, you'd simply activate the actor after they were dead, their body would dissappear and you'd have their corpse added to your inventory (which could be anything, if you make it a quest item the player can't drop it and see what it is)

Agin, I'm speculating and my syntax might be off