Release - ACK Mega Patch (partial feature set)

[rld]

The first installment of the "ACK mega patch" is ready for download at:

http://www.mediafire.com/ack-mega-patch

Here are the features I have working so far:

1) The following commands may be optionally blocked by
setting variable bits: LOOK, GET, DROP, ATTACK, TALK.

2) Fixed the combat message displayed by the "HIT PLAYER WITH WEAPON" action.

3) The 'info' screen can optionally be skipped, going directly to the inventory screen.

4) Encumberance calculations can be optionally ignored.

5) The D variable can be set to record the direction that the player is attempting to move in. This allows things like terrain that can only be crossed in one direction to be implemented.

6) A new optional set of formulas can be used for generation of weapon damage and armor protection values. This allows 'die-roll' types of formulas, so a weapon could be set up (for example) to do 3d6+2 points of damage.

7) The "T" variable can be set to trigger a 'time stop' when set to a non-zero value. While time is stopped, creatures will not move or attack, although the player can still attack and talk to them normally.

8) Region names can now be displayed for worldmap-type regions (above the map, centered) in the same manner that room names are displayed in room-type regions.

9) Fixed the touch macro, which can now be triggered by ranged as well as melee weapons. When the touch macro runs, the X and Y variables are set to the location of the creature that triggered the touch macro.

The ZIP package for the patch contains more documentation of these changes, the binary patch files (ACK02.EXE and ACK02.OVR) that need to be copied into the ACK distribution, and the modified source files.

Side note - anyone who would like to mirror this file on their own site, go ahead. Mediafire is free and relatively easy to use, but it does seem to throw a *lot* of pop-up ads at you when you download a file.

[Heather Harrison]

Thanks. Some of these will be immediately useful as I work on the Ultima II remake. I have downloaded it, and I'll begin trying it out soon. I will let you know how it works out.

Heather

[Garth's Equipment Shop]

Wow great work rld!
_________________
Play Fallout MMO now! FOnline: 2238.

[Heather Harrison]

So far, it works well. I'm using the creature touch macro, the dice roll feature, and the negate time feature. It is nice to have the touch macro fixed, and the dice roll feature for weapons and armor helps combat to make more sense.

Good work.

Heather