edited February 2016 in Announcements
ORK Framework 2.7.0 is here: release notes

Learn more about the new Selected Data feature in this how-to, or see it in action in this gameplay tutorial.


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Small update with some great new features - will be out this week!
Big update coming next week - bringing grand new features!

Sooo - what are those grand new features I'm talking about? There are 3 somewhat smaller additions that can, when used together, create a whole new world of game mechanics:

Events: Selected Data
You'll be able to set things as Selected Data in events - and with things, I'm talking about pretty much whatever you want. For starters, there'll be steps to set game objects, combatants, abilities (also base/counter attacks), equipment and items as selected data, as well as lists of those things. E.g. you can use all Fire abilities of several combatants or all abilities of a defind ability type that are usable in battle, etc.
Battle events of abilities/items will automatically set them as selected data.
Now, what can you do with the selected data once it's set? E.g. use it in the new Selected variable origin to change/check variables attached to the selected data. There'll be more use cases in future updates.

Ability/Item/Equipment Variables
Now things get interesting - abilities, items and equipment can now have variables as well. Beside using the Selected Data feature to manipulate them, you can also define default variable changes in the individual settings of ability/equipment levels and items. Those variables are optionally saved with save games (can be enabled for each individual ability, item and equipment).

Formulas: Local/Selected Variables
Formulas now also have Local and Selected variable origins. When the formula is called through an event (either directly or e.g. through the Calculate step to calculate a battle action's outcome), the local variables are shared with the event and the selected variables are variables attached to the event's Selected Data.


And what can this be used for? E.g. add bonus damage to your damage formulas through Selected origin float variables. If the ability using the formula has the variable attached (e.g. from previously changing it in the event of a training NPC), the ability's variable is used to change the damage formula's outcome.

Small addition to the new Selected Data feature - you'll be able to have different selected data by using a Selected Key to identify them (like with found/global objects). E.g. the ability or item that use the battle events will be available through the action key by default and can be used through that key in the formulas as well. If you want to also add custom equipment bonuses (e.g. using float variables attached to equipment), you can just get all the user's equipment and store it in a selected data (e.g. equipment) to be used in the formula - or just add it to the action selected data.


But there are also other great new features:
  • Item Collectors
    The new Game Event Settings allow executing a game event before and after starting the item collector.
    E.g. use this to animate opening a treasure chest, or let the player say something after collection.
  • Phase Battles
    The new Combatant Order settings define how the combatants of a faction will be sorted for a phase.
    For enemy factions, this defines the order in which the combatants perform actions. For the player, this defines how the combatants are arranged in the combatant choice dialogue.
    Also, the combatant choice dialogue is now optional, i.e. you can disable the player chosing which combatant will be used next and perform the turns based on the combatant order.
  • Status Requirements
    The new Is Choosing requirement checks if a combatant is currently selecting actions or not.
    For AI controlled combatants, this is naturally a bit useless, since they'll select an action immediately - but for player controlled combatants, this can e.g. be used to display a Combatant HUD while chosing actions for a combatant.
  • HUDs: Tooltip
    You can now optionally define which Scene Object Types will display the Tooltip HUD.
    E.g. if you need different tooltips for different scene objects :)
  • Event System
    The Check Transform step can now optionally check the local position and rotation.
  • Event System
    The Change Rotation step can now optionally set the rotation instead of adding the change to the current rotation of a game object.
    Can't believe that this wasn't implemented already :D
  • Event System
    The new Change Aggression State step will set a combatant to either be aggressive or not aggressive.
  • Event System
    The new Is Aggressive step will check if a combatant is aggressive.
  • Event System
    The Change Battle Type step is now available in all event types.
  • Interaction Components
    The In Blocked Control setting is now available for all start types of all interaction components (e.g. event interaction, item collector).
    The setting allows starting an interaction when the player can't interact (e.g. blocked controls).
  • GUI Boxes
    The X and Y coordinates of the content box are now used as an offset to the cursor when using the At Cursor setting.
    Previously, the box was always displayed at the cursor position, ignoring the X/Y coordinates.
  • Game Controls: Move To Interaction
    The new Move To Interaction settings allow, well, moving to an interaction before starting the interaction.
    Supports simple movement, NavMesh and custom movement components (like the move AI). Movement can optionally be canceled through defined input keys (e.g. a mouse click or using a movement key).
    The move destination is defined through the player's combatant radius, a new interaction radius and stop distance. Default interaction radius and stop distance can be overridden by interaction components.
  • Interaction Components
    All interaction components also have new Move To Interaction settings. They can optionally disable the feature for the individual interactions, override the radius/stop distance or define a game object as movement destination.
  • Scene Objects, Scene Object Types
    The new Use Object Variable Text Codes setting allows using object variables for game variable text codes used in the name and description of scene objects and scene object types.
  • Scene Objects, Scene Object Types: Cursor Changes
    Moving the mouse over a game object with a Scene Object component can now automatically change the mouse cursor.
    The cursor change is defined in scene object types and scene objects (where scene objects override the type cursor).
  • Scene Object Components: Custom Text Codes
    You can now add Custom Text Codes to scene object components and use them in the name and description of scene objects and scene object types.
    E.g. name a scene object Door to %name and define different %name text codes in the scene object components to use the same scene object for different doors (e.g. Door to Bar, Door to Room).
  • Ability Development
    The new Ability Development sub-section in the Status section allows creating reusable ability development settings, which can be used by classes and combatants.
    An ability development defines abilities that are learnt at specific base/class levels by a combatant. You'll be able to turn your class/combatant ability development settings into reusable settings through a button :)
  • Input Keys
    The new Axis Factor and Limit Axis settings allow more control over the axis value of input keys.
    E.g. you can limit the axis to only posibive numbers between 0 and 1, or multiply the input axis by 2.
  • Scene Loading
    All settings related to loading scenes (e.g. scene changers, main menu scene changes, etc.) have new settings to load the scene additive and asynchronously.
  • GUI Boxes: Vertical Alignment
    There are new Vertical Alignment settings for the content box (replacing the Center Position setting), name box, choice (title, content, info) and tabs.
    You can automatically align the content to the Top, Middle or Bottom of the available content area.
    E.g. when using a defined choice height, you can use this to display the content of the choice in the center (Middle) of the button.
    The ok/cancel buttons in the Menu Settings (and GUI box overrides) also have Vertical Alignment settings.
  • Event System: Objects
    The new Selected Data selection in object selection fields uses game objects (or combatants) stored in selected data.
  • Event System
    The Actor field has been replaced by object selection fields in most steps, allowing to use other game objects (or combatants) that aren't actors (e.g. found/global objects or selected data).
  • Event System: Clear Selected Data
    The new Clear Selected Data step will remove the selected data of a defined key or all selected data of the event.
  • Event System: Select Game Object
    The new Select Game Object step uses game objects as selected data.
  • Event System: Select Combatant
    The new Select Combatant step uses combatants as selected data.
  • Event System: Select Ability
    The new Select Ability step uses abilities of combatants or a newly created ability as selected data.
  • Event System: Select Base Attack
    The new Select Base Attack step uses base attacks of combatants as selected data.
  • Event System: Select Counter Attack
    The new Select Counter Attack step uses counter attacks of combatants as selected data.
  • Event System: Select Equipment
    The new Select Equipment step uses the equipment currently equipped on combatants as selected data.
  • Event System: Select Items
    The new Select Items step uses items from the inventory of combatants or newly created items as selected data.
  • Event System: Change Equip Status Value
    The new Change Equip Status Value step changes the status value bonus of equipment currently stored in selected data.
    This doesn't trigger recalculation of the wearers status (i.e. the change wont take affect until the wearer's status is recalculated).
  • Event System: Reset Combatant Status
    The new Reset Combatant Status step recalculates the status values and bonuses of a combatant.
    E.g. use this after changing status value bonuses on equipment that the combatant currently has equipped.
  • Event System: Add To Inventory, Remove From Inventory, Has In Inventory
    Optionally use items stored in selected data.
  • Event System: Learn Ability, Forget Ability, Add Temporary Ability, Remove Temporary Ability, Block Ability Reuse
    Optionally use abilities stored in selected data.
Post edited by gamingislove on
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  • Great stuff! Change aggression state is particularly useful for me.
  • Looking good! :D
    Tactics RPG Grid Battle System for ORK
    ---------------------------------------
    Personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/AMO_Crate
    I make RFI! https://twitter.com/NootboxGames
  • edited February 2016
    And there's even more and better features coming :D
    • Game Controls: Move To Interaction
      The new Move To Interaction settings allow, well, moving to an interaction before starting the interaction.
      Supports simple movement, NavMesh and custom movement components (like the move AI). Movement can optionally be canceled through defined input keys (e.g. a mouse click or using a movement key).
      The move destination is defined through the player's combatant radius, a new interaction radius and stop distance. Default interaction radius and stop distance can be overridden by interaction components.
    • Interaction Components
      All interaction components also have new Move To Interaction settings. They can optionally disable the feature for the individual interactions, override the radius/stop distance or define a game object as movement destination.
    • Scene Objects, Scene Object Types
      The new Use Object Variable Text Codes setting allows using object variables for game variable text codes used in the name and description of scene objects and scene object types.
    • Scene Objects, Scene Object Types: Cursor Changes
      Moving the mouse over a game object with a Scene Object component can now automatically change the mouse cursor.
      The cursor change is defined in scene object types and scene objects (where scene objects override the type cursor).
    • Scene Object Components: Custom Text Codes
      You can now add Custom Text Codes to scene object components and use them in the name and description of scene objects and scene object types.
      E.g. name a scene object Door to %name and define different %name text codes in the scene object components to use the same scene object for different doors (e.g. Door to Bar, Door to Room).
    Release most likely tomorrow!
    Post edited by gamingislove on
    Please consider rating/reviewing my products on the Asset Store (hopefully positively), as that helps tremendously with getting found.
    If you're enjoying my products, updates and support, please consider supporting me on patreon.com!
  • The Item Collector event, Is Choosing Requirement, and changeable mouse cursor are awesome additions. :D The middle one in particular solves an ugly hack I'd been working with. Yay!
    My little chunk of the internet: http://artemic.com
  • The "Move to Interaction" feature is a very nice surprise!

    Way to invalidate my lengthy tutorial, @gamingislove. ;-)

    Also very happy to see the cursor changes and custom text for scene objects. There is a bunch of work that I no longer have to do!
  • Alright, I'll postpone the release until this Friday - I'll implement some more stuff before the longer pause due to the grid battle system implementation, including some grand new features that allow a lot of new mechanics, probably changing the version to 2.7.0 as well :)

    @Keldryn
    Sorry about that, it's been a commissioned feature :)
    Please consider rating/reviewing my products on the Asset Store (hopefully positively), as that helps tremendously with getting found.
    If you're enjoying my products, updates and support, please consider supporting me on patreon.com!
  • Ha! getting near to 3.0
  • Grand new features? That's what Griffin likes to hear!
  • @gamingislove, I'm glad to see it as part of the Framework... The way that I did it was something of a workaround.

    Can you possibly add/change a couple of things related to the new multiple actions feature? I'm using a "Custom Action Point System" as outlined at the end of the tutorial, and it works great, except for two minor things: a) there is no way to automatically end the turn when AP reach zero and b) when the Battle ends, the Battle Menu stays open until I click End Turn (do nothing).

    Alternatively, if there were a way to display how many actions an Ability requires as a Use Cost in the menu, then I could probably do away with the custom system and just set action costs for each Ability.

    The second one is probably easiest.
  • Sooo - what are those grand new features I'm talking about? There are 3 somewhat smaller additions that can, when used together, create a whole new world of game mechanics:

    Events: Selected Data
    You'll be able to set things as Selected Data in events - and with things, I'm talking about pretty much whatever you want. For starters, there'll be steps to set game objects, combatants, abilities (also base/counter attacks), equipment and items as selected data, as well as lists of those things. E.g. you can use all Fire abilities of several combatants or all abilities of a defind ability type that are usable in battle, etc.
    Battle events of abilities/items will automatically set them as selected data.
    Now, what can you do with the selected data once it's set? E.g. use it in the new Selected variable origin to change/check variables attached to the selected data. There'll be more use cases in future updates.

    Ability/Item/Equipment Variables
    Now things get interesting - abilities, items and equipment can now have variables as well. Beside using the Selected Data feature to manipulate them, you can also define default variable changes in the individual settings of ability/equipment levels and items. Those variables are optionally saved with save games (can be enabled for each individual ability, item and equipment).

    Formulas: Local/Selected Variables
    Formulas now also have Local and Selected variable origins. When the formula is called through an event (either directly or e.g. through the Calculate step to calculate a battle action's outcome), the local variables are shared with the event and the selected variables are variables attached to the event's Selected Data.


    And what can this be used for? E.g. add bonus damage to your damage formulas through Selected origin float variables. If the ability using the formula has the variable attached (e.g. from previously changing it in the event of a training NPC), the ability's variable is used to change the damage formula's outcome.
    I'm still experimenting with some stuff, so I'll further postpone the release until next week :)
    Please consider rating/reviewing my products on the Asset Store (hopefully positively), as that helps tremendously with getting found.
    If you're enjoying my products, updates and support, please consider supporting me on patreon.com!
  • Ability/Item/Equipment Variables <-- This. OMG This.

    The selected data pattern totally replaces large swaths of custom code I had to write from some abilities, and I am totally ok with this. Less code to maintain on my end makes me downright giddy.
    My little chunk of the internet: http://artemic.com
  • Oh snap! Excellent additions.
    Tactics RPG Grid Battle System for ORK
    ---------------------------------------
    Personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/AMO_Crate
    I make RFI! https://twitter.com/NootboxGames
  • Ability variables. Could do some cool stuff with that.
  • ...And this is where ORK finally graduates to fully mature and nearly flawless status IMHO. Well done! =)
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