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Will scripts work similarly to the previous engine, in that it's just a block of actions? Will the new script implementation support defining scoped parameters (making them more akin to functions), or will that need to be handled by the script's author?

Okay, so there aren't any specific abilities or features related specifically to race, you can just manually create a unit with those features? So if I desired a unit like Socrates there, I would need to manually design him, rather than just ask the engine for a Spriggat of class Swordsman?

I know you've said that the new engine requires graphics to be built into it (I'm guessing at compile time?). Does that same limitation extend to two-dimensional graphics as well? (Character and item sprites, being the big ones)

What's the extent of the separation between species and class with regards to abilities and resistances/weaknesses? Would, for example, a red spriggat swords(wo)man still be able to breathe fire and maintain a weakness to piercing damage?

Gotcha. I guess my question is, what would you be using it for?

That's a valid question.  A simple system that comes to mind is a weapon repair service that could charge the player variable amount of Aura based on the item's consumedAfter stat, or could perhaps enhance a stat on the weapon (maybe enabling whetstones to boost the weapon's strPlus stat instead of directly modifying the character's stats).

Another, much more complex, system that comes to mind is one that would allow the player to collect herbs and mix concoctions for healing wounds, boosting abilities and resistances, or cure status effects, by modifying the stats on a single item.  It'd effectively be custom potion brewing, themed a bit more in line with the Telepath universe, without requiring a unique item class for each potential combination of effects.

(It would be rather difficult to develop a scripting framework for item stat modification based upon inventory List position that would actually be useful to modders, since any kind of item can be in any position--there would need to be a variety of Actions just relaying the various properties of items at any given inventory position just to let you discern which item to act upon!)

That's true.  Another potential method of accessing an item (that comes to mind) could involve adding a read-only id to each and every item instance that could be used in lieu of characterName,itemIndex to pick an item. Without knowing the intricacies of the engine, this could simplify the issue you mentioned, although it would bring with it a set of new complications.  Passing that item id to the script would require a new action, and the calling script would, at least once, need to go through extra work to determine if that id corresponds to the item or item type it wants. I could also see determining which character/object is actually carrying the item (which could be necessary to actually get/set an item's stats), if an item with that id even exists within the current map or shared inventory, increasing time complexity in a very nasty way (since nested for loops, one for the units on the map and one for the items in each inventory, are an O(n²) operation).

[spoiler]
Another alternative method would be adding in support for a vetted scripting language, such as Lua, although I imagine that would require a total overhaul of both the game engine and already existing maps.
[/spoiler]

TL;DR: I can imagine a couple use cases for being able to more directly manipulate items, but I can definitely understand not wanting to implement it.

While I was thinking something a bit more general use, you got the gist of it. Something like GetItemStatTo/characterName,itemIndex,statName,targetVariable, which could set the specified variable to the requested stat, and SetItemStat/characterName,itemIndex,statName,operation,modifyingValue which could modify the specified stat in a manner similar to the actions used to set character stats. itemIndex, in these cases, would be the position of an item in a character's inventory, assuming the data structure you're using to store items on characters is numerically indexed (such as an array).

Would the ability to more directly manage inventory via scripting be a possibility?  If you're storing a unit's inventory in memory in an array (or anything else that implements System.Collections.Generic.IList(T)), perhaps actions to get/set values using the inventory to manage, the item's index within that inventory, and the item property you want to access?  (I'm making the very broad assumption that inventory in save files will continue to store the individual stats of every item in that inventory, such as below from the old engine.)

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<Inv>Practice Sword,Weapon Hand,c:Swordsman::Fencer::Hero::Champion,,,Sword,16,25,0,0,0,0,0,0,-1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,20,0,10,,Sword Wooden,Flimsy practice sword. Strength -1.||Bandages,triggered,,,,,2,16,12,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,20,,Bandages,Restores 12 health.</Inv>


Is modding/scripting support for the new engine going to be as extensive as the currently released Telepath Tactics engine?

[AddSpeakerPortrait]

Not quite, no. There is something like party simulation involved, but...well, you'll see! :)

-- lines of generated dialogue can now have specific facial expressions that the speaker will adopt while saying them. (I've also added this as a new parameter for AddSpeakerPortrait, whose parameters are now: (1) facing, (2) facial expression, and (3) force portrait name. Accepted strings for facial expression parameter include: Angry, Blank, Concerned, Confused, Excited, Focused, Happy, Irritated, Kind, Mean, Nervous, Pained, Sad, Tired, and Wink)

-- characters who get along can now pair up to Clean or Practice together at night, with the probability of a character attempting to pair up with another character impacted by a character's introversion or extraversion. (Characters will only choose other characters they're at least a little bit friendly with for such a pair-up.)

-- made it so only one character can choose to perform the activity Clean each night, though they may find a partner to help based on the factors above. (Compulsive characters are now moved to the front of the activity-choosing queue so they have a chance to choose Clean before this limitation comes into play).

-- wrote a method that analyzes character portrait data to generate a number ("genes") that determines whom the character may potentially be attracted to among their preferred species/gender. (For humans, nose type is determinative; for lissit, snout type; for spriggats, horn type; for shadowlings, plume type.) Thus, even if two characters have the right species and genders compatible with one anothers' gender preferences, they might still not find one another attractive based on intangible genetic factors. Quasi-pheromones, if you will.

-- wrote a second method to check for romantic compatibility between characters based on the above-mentioned factors.

Now I see: it's a world simulator set in the Telepathaverse!  Will it include cats drinking themselves to death?

Looking through the new engine's developer log, and seeing the inclusion of nicknames, dynamically generated character portraits, preferences, special skills, and now complex sounding nighttime scenes, I must ask: is the new engine a more deterministic (knowing your aversion to too much RNG in games) D&D-esque party simulator?

Does the new engine support actual 3-D maps, or is it purely visual?  That is, are there actually three dimensions a unit can potentially move in?

I was cleaning out the Windows partition on my laptop, and stumbled on a collection of recolored and rearranged Object sprites and Item Icons that may be useful to someone in the future.


This collection includes book icons of various colors and decorations. (Cryo, Photo, Pyro, and Skia decorated books shown below.)

Sample book item definitions for the currently released Telepath Tactics engine are included.

This collection also includes glove variants.  Most of these are less than pretty, but the black, bloodied, iron, and silver look okay.


Less useful, with the new engine's direction towards 3-D battlefield objects, are the garden object sprites.  Prominently featured are the hedge walls (vertical, horizontal, NE, SE, SW, and NW) and the stone statue.

Hedge wall object definitions valid for the currently released Telepath Tactics engine, as well as the .pyxel file for the stone statue, are included.

Imgur album for all embedded images

Will The Beginner's Guide to Programming RPGs ever be released on its own?  Or will it be a well kept secret, shared only with the 17 souls who picked it during the last Telepath Tactics Kickstarter Campaign?

How has been your experience with GoDaddy as the SinisterDesign.net Domain Name Registrar?

Just a thought that had occurred to me while I was logging into the forums over my university's wireless network.  (Packet sniffers are incredibly cool, and mildly scary, tools, haha.)

Have you considered providing SSL (and relatedly HTTPS) support for the Sinister Design website, perhaps using a certificate authority such as Let's Encrypt?