Scenario Design

Simulating Dynamic Teleporters - Teleporter destination switching through events.

Send in by: Aquamote (09-11-2002) via e-mail.

I'm trying to make it so that you have to complete certain sub-quests e.g. find an item, enter a special area etc. Then I found this way of "changing" a teleporter's XYL destination depending on set conditions. And you can do this with the same teleporter several times.

(This script makes a physical teleport placed on the map work in such a way that its destination is dependent on events and conditions, such as owning one type of item will teleport you to one destination and owning a different teleport will take you to another. - BCH)

First of all, in the Editor, place a teleporter that is accessible (let,s call this T1.)

• Set XYL co-ordinates on it.
• Set up a receiving teleporter (let's call this T2) with XYL to another teleporter near T1 but the third one has no set XYL (let's call this T3).
• script a 'Show Message' event or a sign saying something like "Find the key for the next step in distant lands" or something fancy like that.

This means that you can teleport normally between T1 and T2, then T2 will send you to T3.

Now, the easiest example; you can use other methods:

• Place an item somewhere that is accessible to the area of T2.
• Script a teleport to a new, otherwise inaccessible area.
• Set it to 'Always'.
• Put the scripted teleport XYL on hex of T1.
• Now, put a condition AND item owned (area2's item ID).

This is where it gets tricky. At this point, you must decide how many of these 'phases' in the game you want.

Say, you want 3. On this first scripted teleport,

• Set two new AND NOT conditions for 'Item Owned'
• AND NOT (area3's item ID)
• AND NOT (area4's item ID)
• Put in the ID of the two other items you want to use as keys.

This means that as soon as you pick up one of the other items, this teleport is 'disabled', allowing you to not confuse the computer by having 3 'always' teleports on the same hex. I don't even want to try it, but please Email me at aquamote@aol.com if you dare to try it :P

This also means that before you have a chance to hit the 'enter' button on T1, you will be automatically teleported to area3. As long as you only have the item from area2 and you can no longer teleport to that area, but you can always teleport away from that area if, say, you had troops stuck over there.

Next, that's not the end of it yet :) hehe.

• Script a teleport again on the same hex as T1.
• Put the destination ('to') co-ordinates to a new, otherwise inaccessible area.
• Place a teleporter in area3, to receive the new XYL of the scripted teleport (let's call this T4).
• Set T4's XYL to T3.
• Place your item in area3.
• Script a teleport set to 'always' from T1 to Area4
• Set a condition to AND item owned (area3's item)
• Set another condition to AND NOT item owned (area4's item)

The reason for this is that because you will definetly have the previous items from the earlier 'stages', this would deactivate it before you could use it.

• Repeat with the item and the teleport script, but set it the destination to area5.
• Remember to set the teleporter there in area4 to send units to T3 (as always).
• In the script, put a condition AND (area4's item).
• Don't put any AND NOT's on this one.

Make area5 your showdown with enemy, eg. a wizard,

Hint: make sure all the teleporters in all the places (except area1) are linked to T3 as this allows you to transport any troops 'stuck' in any of the areas back home.