Bugs, features, and oddities

Aura fixes have been sent to Spor with a few tricks to avoid exploits that I won't comment on .

Also those issues with conversations in the welcome room, etc. should be okay in the current 'Z' version of the module, so let us know if you find any of the conversations picking up the wrong person talking (the other spot where it was an issue was the goblin quests and ?caravans which are also fixed).

Hopefully next lot of building will add in a few new automated quests of different varieties to keep people on the lookout for .

I just created a new character, and for some reason Im getting booted before I can spawn in the welcome room...

The character is brand new, never logged in before or had anything changed about it, so Im not sure why it would be being booted?
My other, existing, character can still log in just fine, so its something specific to this one... any ideas?

What character class and other details can you give? Is there some form of reason given when booted or is it just you have been booted? Did anything odd happen while creating the character (server reset/crash, random disconnect etc)?

I don't believe the servers updated since the creation of Zach unless it was in the last four days while i've been trying to get in the swing of work and tafe again.

Perhaps trying to create a new character again, it may have been corrupted on creation or not linked with the DB correctly. Spors a very forgiving person and if it's a broken character I'm sure he wont bite you for trying to make a third for the time being until the broken can be deleted.

The char is an elven rogue. Nothing out of the ordinary during creation, and no message. Just at the end of creation when I went to enter Aeon it went to black and, before it got to loading the welcome room, dumped me back out with the standard "You have been booted".

Didn't want to try again because I'm not sure if the 2 character limit is enforced by scripts or if its just a rule. I cant login to delete the new character and try again, and dont want further scripts to go doing something unexpected because of me having extra characters...

edit: It occurs to me that SilentBugler mentioned the other day thatd he was having the same problem with his new character, now that I think of it. Dont know if he sorted it out or not. And he said it was persisting across resets.

My initial guess would be a DB flag not getting set properly (like Squeak mentioned) but not sure of any changes to this recently (I think the server is still using the Z version which has been around a while).

Yeah, I figured it was either a DB flag, or a bug in a hacker check.

But I dont know what to do about it. It isnt fixing itself, I cant log in to delete it, and Im not sure if the 2 character limit has any automatic enforcement which could cause me further trouble.

Caffiene wrote:

Yeah, I figured it was either a DB flag, or a bug in a hacker check.

But I dont know what to do about it. It isnt fixing itself, I cant log in to delete it, and Im not sure if the 2 character limit has any automatic enforcement which could cause me further trouble.

It doesn't. I ended up with three chars once by creating my new one and then deleting my old.

GAH!

So I figured Id create the character again, and just have the old one deleted instead of needing it to be looked into and fixed.

Went through the process, made the character again (with a new name, so as not to confuse the DB). New character gets booted too.

Help!

can you make another user account just to test to see if its related only to seeing your login?

Just tried with a different account... still happens.

I have a suspicion it might be an anti-hacker ability score check not taking racial bonuses into account properly and determining that I have abilities that are "too high" to have been bought legitimately with point-buy, but I have no real way to know.

well, you could make the character without any really high stats, just to test the theory.

Yeah, seems to be the stats. Made a character with the exact same skills, feats, etc, but with the stats changed so that the racial bonuses dont affect the outcome of the pointbuy, and it works.

Or not...
I just made a dwarf with the same ability scores as my elf, but with con instead of dex, and it worked fine.

Must be something more subtle. A bug in the scripts where elves arent treated correctly, or a check on the skill checks as a result of feats and ability scores, or something.

definitly sounds like some type of ability check though by the sounds, something that doesn't take into account that that combination can produce that ability score legally..

Skill points problem looks promising, now. Made my elf build exactly as before when it wouldnt work, including abilities, but saved the skill points instead of assigning them, and it worked.

Makes sense that it could be partly caused by abilities, because the abilities affect the skills.

edit:
Further testing reveals that it seems to be a combination of skills and feats that gives bonuses to skills.

If I max a skill and take skill focus, I get kicked.
But for some reason if I put the skill at one less than max (3) and take skill focus, thats ok.

The server seems to think hacking by a skill point or two is fine... but three, thats getting silly.

Might be an error in the anti-hacker scripts. Probably checking for unrealisticly high skill scores in new characters. Sounds like it's got the threshold a point or two to low.

Based on Sir Elric's scripts from 2006, with an update by BTH to increase max skill points.

Quote :

// Main Settings - Please note the numbers below are just my estimates
//
// In my testing these settings allowed all valid characters I tested to login
// within the confines of the checks.
// I'm no guru on what points/feats players normally get at creation so fine
// tune these settings if you know better.

const int COMBINED_ABILITY_POINTS_MAX = 80; // Total ability points allowed
const int ABILITY_POINTS_MAX_SINGLE = 20; // Max points in any one ability
const int MAX_SKILL_POINTS_TOTAL = 100; // Max skill points in total
const int MAX_SKILL_POINTS_SINGLE = 15; // Max skill points in any one skill

Let us know which numbers can be beaten legally and we'll boost them . I assume this is for 1st level PC checks only?

[EDIT]: Yes only checked when hitdice =1.

Score to beat with total skill points at level 1 (including bonuses from attributes and feats) is 119 with an elven rogue. Anyone get better than that (although I did some data modelling to optimise the number, the build is really unlikely )?

[EDIT]: 120 (although I thought I had 123 a second ago..., must have been a typo)

[EDIT]: 121, 48 ranks from rogue with 16 INT, 63 from attribute bonuses, 4 from feats and 6 from racial abilities

[Another edit]: Highest individual skill I can get at level 1 is 16 (4 ranks, 5 DEX bonus, 3 skill focus, 4 class bonus) for a sneaky elf ranger (not sure if the fact it is only a +4 bonus in wliderness areas counts or not - maybe it does if the entry area counts as the outdoors . Otherwise highest I can get is parry (4 ranks, 5 Dex, 4 bonus = 13 or elf spot/search/listen 4,4,3,2)

Anyway looks like I'll probably recommend updating the numbers to 17 for an individual or 125 for combined unless we get any higher bids before the next update. For those having issues, with high skill point builds, just wait until level 2 to add in the excess points.

I dont think ranger would probably count, because the check seems to happen before any area loading, so situational bonus wouldnt be applied.
I think a halfling should be able to get 14 move silently, though. 4 ranks, 5 dex bonus, 3 skill focus, 2 class bonus.
Or a gnome, for the Concentration skill.

Im trying to think if theres any way to get higher with fighter bonus feats or human extra feat, but havent thought of one so far.
edit:
Actually, improved parry might do it, as a fighter feat or human feat, if its added directly to the skill.
Then youd be able to do 4 ranks + 5 dex bonus + 3 skill focus + 4 improved parry = 16

Just tonight we found a bracer of the wizard 2, but it was only usable by a cleric, interesting stuff!

If the check is triggered by 1HD you probably need to allow for a 1st level character that's found or been given a skill boosting item as well (or, possibly, just a spell/feat effect). If it's triggered by 0xps then, as long as you give them 1xp after checking them you should be safe.

Gnome with stealthy and Skill Focus(Hide):

+4 (race) + 2 (stealthy) + 3 (skill focus) + 5 (20 Dex) + 4 (Ranks) = 18

Goes up to 22 if they are a ranger and outdoors.

Im not positive, but I think the gnome size bonus to hide is actually implemented as a inherent +4 modifier on the spot DC rather than an actual bonus to the hide skill. If so, it wouldnt be counted as part of the check.

Jamoise wrote:

Just tonight we found a bracer of the wizard 2, but it was only usable by a cleric, interesting stuff!

Already found and fixed in the blueprints but I hadn't fixed the instance in the loot drops yet as would need to replace the whole area in the module to do that (going to have to bite the bullet and use the Y version and do changes I think...).

As for the checks, I guess we just add in an individual skill check of 20 and maybe 130 for total skills. If you have gear that gives you greater skill bonuses than that then get to level 2 already! . 99% of levle 1 PCs should be fine with those sorts of numbers and if someone figures out how to hack individual skills all up to 20 without hitting the 130 total limit, then they aren't going to be causing much problems anyway . Main trick with the skill points is a possible extra +5 for the ride skill which wouldn't have been in there before.

The feat counts have plus and minuses for different races and classes so should be fine. Caff, do you know how many skill points your level 1 would of had if you created them in a different module?

Was just over one hundred. Values change depending whether I look on the login screen or after login, but I think I was only over by a point or two - hence why lowering one or two scores by a point let me create the character.