Post by Rook on Apr 26, 2010 10:45:38 GMT -5
Horses are now implemented in FRC. Assuming they don't crash the server they will remain in FRC. Please approach this as a beta release of horses. They have not been tested in a PW environment. If you decide to use a horse with your PC don't be surprised if you encounter bugs. I've tried to catch what I can but the horse system is complicated and I may have missed something. Or things may behave differently in a PW. I highly recommend that anyone who wants to use horses turn on log files and maintain them with a log rotator program. Screen shots can also be helpful.
To give credit where credit is due I started with Calan's Horse System. I cut out and modified large portions of it. I added some of the 1.69 horse system back in and a fair amount of my own code as well. It's a convoluted amalgamation that I hope works well.
The DM team reserves the right to change the horse system. We may change prices, bonuses, penalties or whatever. We'll make those decisions if we see anything out of balance or decide to implement a new feature.
This isn't a true FAQ but I'll answer what I think will be common questions. Feel free to ask questions I haven't answered yet.
Where can I get a horse?
Currently only the stable in Tyrluk sells horses.
What types of horses are available?
You can choose from ponies, riding horses and war horses.
Are there any difference between the horses?
Yes. Ponies are the slowest and riding horses are the fastest. Ponies have the fewest HP and war horses have the most. War horses can wear barding, the others can't.
How many horses may I own?
You may only own one horse at a time. Please don't keep more than one horse deed in your inventory. You will risk breaking a script.
How does the horse system work?
When you purchase your horse you will get a deed to your horse and a widget to unsummon it (send it away, stable it, hitch it to a post, etc.). You may talk to your horse to mount it or use the radial menu. When you mount a horse for the first time you will be given a dismount widget. You may use this widget or use the radial menu to dismount. You have to be dismounted to use the unsummon horse widget.
Are there any benefits to wearing barding?
Maybe.
How do I purchase barding?
Only an owner of a war horse may purchase barding. If you own a war horse talk to the horse merchant to purchase a bit and saddle. After you purchase that, talk to him again to purchase chain or scale barding.
How do I change the barding of my horse.
Talk to your horse. If you own a war horse and have purchased barding you'll see options to select a different barding choice.
I play a paladin. Why can't I summon my mount?
I disabled the radial menu ability to summon your mount. I want paladins to use the same horse system as everyone else. Paladins of level 5 or higher may talk to the horse merchant in the stable and get their mount for free. The process is a bit OOC but it's easier this way to keep paladins using the same scripts as everyone else.
Do paladin mounts get getter at higher levels?
Yes, the mounts get better at levels 8, 11, and 15 (if I remember correctly). When you reach those levels talk to the horse seller to sell your "old" mount and get a "new" one. Again, it's an OOC process but doing so will give you a deed with the improved mount.
Why can't I use XYZ while riding a horse?
You are disabled from using most two-handed weapons while riding a horse. Tower shields, heavy crossbows and longbows are also not permitted. The DM team felt it did not make sense to use these while on a horse. Halflings and gnomes are restricted from using weapons that are two handed for their size and from using large shields. Spears are permitted for the large races.
Where did my shield go? I can't see it.
This is a BioWare issue and not one I know how to solve. No shields appear while on horseback, whether standard or CEP. I don't know why off-hand weapons appear and shield don't. You still get the AC benefit from using your shield. As far as the appearance goes, you'll just have to use your imagination.
Why does my PC suffer an attack penalty while riding a horse?
That's probably because you are using a range weapon. PCs suffer a -4 attack penalty while using a range weapon while on horse back. If you have the mounted archery feat the penalty is -2 instead of -4.
Why can't I sneak well while on horseback?
Because horses aren't sneaky. There are several skills that suffer huge penalties while you are on horseback. Hide and move silently are just two of them.
What are the benefits of the Ride skill?
You need at least 1 point in ride to qualify for the mounted combat feat. The mounted combat feat is a prerequisite for the mounted archery feat. If you have the mounted combat feat you will gain a +1 AC bonus for every 5 points you put into ride.
I have a huge Ride skill and I have the mounted combat feat, but my AC isn't increasing like I think it should.
There could be two reasons for this. First, the AC bonus comes from the points you've invested into the ride skill. Having a big dexterity bonus will not help. Second, I don't want PCs to benefit from both the ride and tumble skills at the same time. Eventually I hope to remove the AC bonus from tumble while mounted on a horse. Until then, you get the better AC benefit from ride or tumble but not both.
I transitioned into an area and I was forced off my horse.
Horses are not allowed in any interior or underground areas. I would highly recommend dismounting your horse and then sending your horse away before moving into one of these areas. It's much better RP to do it yourself instead of forcing the script to do it for you in a doorway.
Help! I look like a dwarf, and I don't play a dwarf!
Well, I hear clan Oghrann is looking for some recruits.
But more seriously, this is a bug I've encountered in my testing and debugging of the code. Hopefully I've removed all the bugs that can lead to this, but if it happens to you just contact a DM for help. They have tools to fix you.Finally, I want to say something about death. If you die while on horse back your horse survives. It will be presumed that your horse ran off while the monsters gloat over your body and you respawn. I would highly discourage anyone from using their horse as a companion to fight along side them. Your horse can die. If your horse dies it remains dead. You will lose the deed to your horse and you will have to purchase another horse if you want one again.
If you have any questions please post them here. I'll do my best to answer them. I hope the horses work well for you and that you enjoy them.
Justicar will update FRC sometime later today.