Complex Item interactions, Quest ending options

dzaims · November 2015

Noob Foundry author here, fumbling my way through the interface. I've got a couple easy/dumb questions, and some more complex ones.

1- In the custom map builder, I haven't seen any way to vary the altitude of rooms on the same map. Like the cellar area of the guardhouse/orc base in the Tower District, or caves below a crypt. To avoid the party-splitting bug hopping between maps, I'm trying to keep the whole quest on one map.

2- I'm working on a quest where you need to gather 4 items to fix a device. I've made some FX contingent on a single item interaction, but can you make it contingent for all 4 item interactions? All 4 items need to be placed for the "device" to light up, etc.

3- I'm trying to offer a plot twist at the end of a quest, so that either way you finish it, you get the reward chest. How can you put in parallel quest objectives in the story tab?

Thanks, and I hope to make an awesome quest with some replayability.

valcontar73 · November 2015

1- You can't vary the altitude of rooms of any interior map, you need to use wall/roof/floor assets to build them from scratch on "Exterior" maps:

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2- For the 4 device, use 1 object (it must be a bit big), then use 4 invisible sphere interactable around the object for each item.

3- You can not put parallel objectives in the story, but you can make appear/disappear enemies or objects using several ways: visible if character has X item, visible if dialog prompt, visible when objective complete, and so on. But this objects/pnjs/enemies must be not attached to any objective. IT'S A LOT OF WORK, but you can do it.

waryur · November 2015

Agreed with aboves 1 and 3.

1) Agreed with Valcontar. This is where you'd use teleporters, invisible walls, unlock doors, to progress to new areas.

2) Are you wanting them to have four items by the time they get the device, or they find one at a time and have an option to place it in the device before moving on to the next one? Also, do you want the FX to happen with each placement of item, and sort of build up FX until all are there, or only one set of FX when all four are placed?
A few ways to play with this.
Something to play with could be adding objectives in the story tabs. Once all four are collected, then add one objective for each item to be placed. Then have your FX "appear when" that particular objective is complete. Or do one objective at a time, a fetch and carry style of quest.
If you want them to interact with the same device in the same location over an over, you'd need to make multiple copies, keep track of them, and assign the FX to "appear when" they interact with that particular numbered device.
Another way, have invisible sphere for them to interact with that brings up a dialogue screen. Positioned so they are looking at the device when the dialogue screen comes up. Then for each dialogue prompt, the response being "You place orb one into the device" for example, have your FX "appear when" that particular dialogue prompt is complete.

3) Nope, something we've been asking for since beta. There is no "and/or" logic.

guitarzan698 · November 2015

I would suggest, as someone new to the foundry, that you start simply. Begin with a straight forward, simple quest. Give yourself some time to learn the tool-set. There are lots of little tricks that will help you accomplish your goals, but some of these things are a bit ... well, tricky. Also, I would suggest, playing other people's foundry creations to see some of the things that are possible. There are some really great quests out there but unfortunately, they are hidden among the horrible ones. Don't try to bite off too much at once... take small steps until you learn the tools. Good luck and welcome.

imaginaerum1 · November 2015

If you're building a multi-level area out of details, I highly recommend starting from the bottom and working your way up.
Because of the way the camera moves in Foundry, if you start at the top and work down, you'll have a hard time viewing some things from some angles. It also prevents you getting to the bottom, realizing you needed just that much more room, and having to go in and add 10' to the Y-values of everything in your quest.
If you want to walk through an example of this, the second half of my "T1: The Village of Hommlet" quest is a multilevel contiguous dungeon built on an outdoor map. Use the shrine at the beginning to skip the village if you're not actually wanting to play through, and just want to see the dungeon.

Regarding parallel objectives, while you can't do that, you *can* put in parallel quest paths.
The trick is to use components (not objectives) to guide the player. Then, at the end, make sure that both (or all if you went with more than two) quest paths merge, so that you can have a quest-ending objective that is available to all questlines.
I used this technique on my quest "Missing Children", to give a choice near the end of the quest that results in what appears to be two different endings, but is actually two quest paths with one ending, a Reach Waypoint objective.

-- @Gruffydd

dzaims · November 2015

All awesome advice. Thanks! I've got the 4-item deal sorted with detail interactions, and I'll just leave the very end of the quest line open ended with final dialog dependent on the choices (I hope folks will ignore the glowing chest long enough to play through the final conversation ;-) ).

Cheers,

Dzaims, aka Legless Lego Legolas

imaginaerum1 · November 2015

You don't have to rely on them to ignore the chest. Put it behind something (invisible wall?) that doesn't go away until the final dialog prompt is reached.

Complex Item interactions, Quest ending options

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