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dulsi edited this page Jan 3, 2016 · 11 revisions

Bt Builder is an open source implementation of the Bard's Tale Construction Set. The eventual goal is to make a game builder that can implement the three main Bard's Tale games in addition to Construction Set games. Other possible extensions include Wasteland and Dragon Wars. The editor file formats and custom pictures have been deciphered. At current we do not intend to decipher all file formats instead a new free collection of graphics and sounds will be included with the game. Work has started on a primitive editor. The game interface is fairly usable at the moment. The unimplemented features from the construction set are listed in the README.

Wishlist

  • Unknown items and identify skill
  • Street names
  • Create Item spell
  • More attack options for a monster than one melee and one special
  • Multiple shop (mostly implemented)
  • Named flags instead of numbers.

Analysis of Spells from BT games

Here's as comprehensive a list as I can make for the BT1 spells - obviously I'm repeating several spells drifting and Methuselas mentioned. Note that a LOT of these you can get very close in BT Builder, but, just for completeness I included every spell you can't truly replicate exactly. For cases of spells that were actually "broken" in BT1 (like FEAR), I went with what the description said they should do, not what they actually did in the game.

Conjurer:

  • SOSH - Would need a "caster only" target option.
  • TRZP - As implimented, trap destruction has a range of 0 (i.e. as long as the effect is active, you are immune to traps you "step on" - that and you can disarm traps on chests). In BT1 this spell disarmed all traps within 30' of the direction you were facing.
  • BASK (?) - I don't know if this one actually increased your damage. The description implies it did, but I don't know if it did in game. In BT Builder you can give a boost to hit, but not an "extra damage" effect.
  • MAST - Like drifting said, you need a "skip turn" effect for this one. (Use one turn paralyze.)
  • WROV (?) - Same deal as BASK; assuming this made you do more damage in addition to hitting better, then you can't do the "more damage" part yet.
  • APAR - No teleportation effect available yet.

Magician:

  • VOPL - No extra damage effect yet.
  • AIAR - Same as SOSH.
  • SCSI - There is a scry sight effect, but it creates a map. There is currently no effect that just lists you coordinates and dungeon level.
  • HOWA - Can't make spells specific to a monster type.
  • MAGA - Same as VOPL.
  • AREN - The BTCS/BT Builder version of Scry Site is kind of a "pseudo" version of the BT1-3 detection spells. But to really get this working the way it does in the BT games, you really need a way to specify a flag on a special and then have an Effect called "detect flag" that will tell you when any special with that type of "flag" is within 30' of the direction you are facing (I'll point out "detect flag" would also need to have a customized message as one of its inputs: e.g. "detect: stair" plays "Stairs near..." while "detect: anti-magic" plays "Your spells waver..." or something).
  • OGST - Same as VOPL, although I'm not totally sure this spell actually increased your damage in BT1; it just says it does.

Sorcerer:

  • LOTR - Same issue as AREN.
  • HYIM - Same issue as MAST.
  • FEAR - The same says it reduces the target's damage which can't be done right now. This is kind of a nitpick, though, since technically FEAR in BT1 actually made it easier for monster to hit you and had no effect on damage.
  • VANI - No option for "caster only" spells.
  • SESI - Same issue as AREN.
  • CURS - Same issue as FEAR (although it never did what its description said anyway).
  • DIIL - This one is a real nitpick. You can make an almost perfect copy of this in BT Builder, except, technically, the 'doppelganger' attack in BT1 and 2 isn't implemented in BT Builder so naturally there's no way to make this spell 'reveal' one either...
  • MIWP - You can't limit a spell to "single target: party only". There are several other spells that in BT1 were technically also "party only" that in BT Builder you could cast on a monster - but I'd argue this is one where the intended purpose of the spell is counter to being able to cast it on monsters.
  • SOSI - Same issue as AREN.

Wizard:

  • SUDE - Can't randomly select between 2 possible monsters. (I'll note this is specific to BT1. In BT2 and 3, summon spells only summon one type of thing, just like in BT Builder.)
  • REDE - Same issue as HOWA.
  • DEBA - Same issue as HOWA.
  • SUPH - Same issue as SUDE.
  • ANDE - Where to begin? I'd argue this one would probably be very thorny to implement in BT Builder. You'd need "single target: party only", some way to only get it to work on dead characters, get it to revive them as possessed, and somehow make it so that they still only attack your foes in spite of the whole possession thing.
  • DMST - Same issue as HOWA.
  • SPSP - Same issue as SUDE.
  • GRSU - Same issue as SUDE (and the only demon-summoning spell that has a chance of summoning more than one type of creature).

Looking through the list, you can then put together a list of the 'effects' you need to implement these spells in their BT1 forms:

  1. Adding 'caster only' and 'party only' as potential target options.
  2. A damage boost effect (of the XdY+Z variety most likely).
  3. A display coordinates effect.
  4. The ability to flag monsters as a certain 'class' and have the spell only affect monsters with certain class tags (one or more).
  5. The ability to assign 'type' flags to specials, and then have a spell effect that displays when a special with that type of flag is within 30' (in the direction the party is facing).
  6. A teleportation effect.
  7. Add a range to trap destruction (in the direction the party is facing).
  8. A 'skip turn' effect.
  9. All of that jazz under 'Animate Dead.'

And last but not least (and specific only to BT1): The ability of certain summon spells to select from a list of 2-3 creatures.

Okay, technically, also a 'doppelganger' attack and a 'reveal doppelganger' effect.

Okay, now for BT2.

I'm not going to repeat any spells from BT1 that are also in BT2 unless what they did changed between the two games (and only if the changed version of the spell can't be exactly replicated in BT Builder).

Conjurer:

  • FAFO - Unless this has been changed in a recent build "Push" can pull things in, but can't push them further away.
  • APAR - Technically, you'd need to add a "menu-based teleport" to what the spell does in BT1 and a way to tell a spell to do one thing if cast outdoors and something else if cast indoors.

Magician:

  • STTO - Since you now cannot 'stone' something made of stone, you'd need a "only affect things without this flag" condition. Well, okay, that's the easiest way from the module builder's point of view. Spells only affecting monsters 'tagged' as a certain class would work here too, but you'd have to tag every monster that isn't made of stone as 'Not Stone' and have the spell affect all 'Not stone' monsters (instead of specifying that the spell doesn't affect things flagged as 'Stone').
  • SASP - You'd need a teleport effect (and not APAR's generic one - you'd need a 'teleport specifically to these coordinates' effect), and a 'remove X gold from the party effect' (likely set to whatever the gold cap is). Finally, you'd need a '% chance spell does nothing' effect.

Sorcerer:

  • MAGM - You'd need "only affects monsters tagged as a certain class." You'd also need a "select randomly any one effect from a list of multiple effects." I suppose you'd also need a way to flag a spell as "illusionary" - if any target passes a disbelieve "check" the whole spell is negated (although presumably the monsters just getting a saving throw they way they normally do would probably be close enough).
  • ZZGO - Oh geez. You need a way to specify "do these effects in combat and these when not in combat." You need a menu-based teleport effect. A "turn illusions real" effect. And the ability to specify separate targets for separate effects in a single spell.

Archmage:

  • HAFO - You need a 'skip turn' effect. (Use one turn paralyze.)
  • BASP - Really nitpicking, but to get this exactly like in BT2, you actually need to be able to have different durations for different effects in a single spell (or, alternately, an Effect that is "Cast this other spell"). Technically the GRRE component is long duration, and everything else is indefinite.
  • CAMR - You need a 'calm hostile monster in party' effect and the aforementioned "% chance spell does nothing" effect.

And BT3. Same deal as BT2 - I'm only listing spells either new to BT3, or that do things differently in BT3 than in BT1 or 2.

First, though, I'll point out DMST is now off the list. While DMBA still suffers from the same issue HOWA does in BT1 and 2, DMST is now just a generic combat spell. However, BT3 does actually implement (for the first time) elemental resistances and vulnerabilities.

Sorcerer:

  • PREC - Needs a "block summon spells" effect.

Chronomancer: The "dimensional teleport" spells would all need some sort of "spell only works when cast at X location" effect along with "teleport to specific location" (mentioned in the SASP entry in BT2). Technically, you also need a way to flag a spell as "unavailable until given to the player."

  • WHAT - Need an "identify item" effect.
  • FOTA - The Push effect needs to be able to move things further away.

Geomancer: The geomancer has a bunch of "reveal" spells that I'm not entirely sure how they work. Do they list the coordinates of what they are supposed to reveal? Do they put markings on the automap (without filling in the rest of the map)? In any case, you can't really do what they do in BT Builder.

  • EAWA - You could replicate this with a continually running trap destruction effect, but you'd need to add a 'Until you leave the current dungeon level' option to duration.

  • WAWA - While you can set the duration of the phase door effect to be something other than one turn, technically to have this spell do exactly what it does in BT3 you need a 'Until you leave the current dungeon level' option for duration (just like with EAWA).

  • SAST - Same issue as FOTA (and FAFO).

  • PATH - You'd need an effect that clears the "fog of war" from the automap, but without showing you where the special squares are located.

  • EAMA - You'd need a "delete monster group" effect - the group just goes away and you don't get any experience for them.

  • DIVA - Basically, same issues as ZGGO from BT2.

  • GILL - This one's easy; you just need the ability to let spells assign "do nothing" tags (kind of like how levitate works).

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