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Lewisham
Joined: 26 Apr 2008
Posts: 2
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 Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2008 11:52 Post subject: How far can NWN(X) go? |
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Hey guys,
I've never used or developed in NWN, and you guys seem to know all there is to know about scripting it, so I was hoping you could help me out!
I'm a student investigating different RPG games that I can modify in order to do some research on a "drama manager", basically an AI program that modifies the world the player inhabits in order to make a better player preference. In order to do that, it needs to be able to modify the world's objects and NPCs (which I know NWN will allow).
What I'm also interested in is Natural Language Processing, so that the player can be communicated with by an AI program. In order for that to happen, it has to be able to read the player's speech, and then probably run some quite complicated calculations. There are resources I'd like to use, one of which is WordNet http://wordnet.princeton.edu/, the other being ConceptNet http://web.media.mit.edu/~hugo/conceptnet/#download. WordNet can be accessed with an SQL database, so I know NWNX will let me get at it. ConceptNet is a Python program with an XML-RPC server, and some implementations in C++/Java/Ruby, so that's a bit trickier.
The documentation for NWNX implies that accessing something like ConceptNet would be possible, but there are only three plugins released. Does anyone know if I could access it, perhaps via C++?
Just how far can I take NWN(X)? I would have liked a full scripting language like Python, but Obsidian's decision to stick with NWScript seems like it will limit me. Basically, I want as much power as possible 
Sticking in the RPG space, does anyone know of something more moddable than NWN2? I can't think of one, but you guys will definitely know if there is, so I'm throwing it out there!
Thanks ever so much for your time, I really appreciate it. |
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Papillon
x-man
Joined: 28 Dec 2004
Posts: 1060
Location: Germany
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| Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 13:55 Post subject: |
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If you know C++, you can easily take the source code of the relatively simple Timer plugin, and modify it to access ConceptNet. The interface between NWN and NWNX is lightweight, you simply need to adapt a few functions to create your own custom plugin.
Btw, there are more plugins than just the three that come with the official distribution. Just have a look at the downloads - contributions page and here on the forum.
NWN itself has its limits, of course. Will any of the limits hold you back ? Hard to say, you would have to be more specific in your description of what you want to modify in the world. NWScript is not bad, but certainly not comparable to a real scripting language like Ruby or Python.
NWNX on the other hand has no limits. Everything that can be coded in C++ and be communicated with in terms of function calls and simple parameters (like strings or integers) can be done.
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Papillon |
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Lewisham
Joined: 26 Apr 2008
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 7:01 Post subject: |
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| Papillon wrote: | If you know C++, you can easily take the source code of the relatively simple Timer plugin, and modify it to access ConceptNet. The interface between NWN and NWNX is lightweight, you simply need to adapt a few functions to create your own custom plugin.
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This is super-super awesome!
| Papillon wrote: | | NWN itself has its limits, of course. Will any of the limits hold you back ? Hard to say, you would have to be more specific in your description of what you want to modify in the world. NWScript is not bad, but certainly not comparable to a real scripting language like Ruby or Python. |
Presuming the NWLexicon is accurate (which I think it is!) then yes, I have the power I need. Modification in the game world would take the form of:
- Having a character move somewhere or say something
- Removing or placing objects in the game world
The DM would need to be able to perceive where the player is or what the player is doing (for example, that the player fought with drunk orc in Papillion's Pub), but I think this is also possible. Coupling to an SQLite backend for state storage would be a good idea.
No more than that. It's important the DM has a light touch... if the player notices that the DM is actively shaping what they are doing, they won't like it!
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NWNX on the other hand has no limits. Everything that can be coded in C++ and be communicated with in terms of function calls and simple parameters (like strings or integers) can be done. |
That sounds really great. I'll have to grab myself a copy. Do you recommend NWN1 or 2 for this job?
I'm also going to get a copy of Crysis, because the CryTek tools are supposed to be fantastic (with full Lua support), but that might well be a big hammer to crack a small nut... if I spend half my time writing path-finding routines, that's half my time wasted. It won't go anywhere to help prove the capabilities of a drama manager. |
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abraxas77
Joined: 17 Nov 2006
Posts: 15
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| Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 17:53 Post subject: |
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Lewisham, I think you came to the right place. NWN (and now NWN2) has been a sort of sandbox for me for years. I'm now currently at work developing an external AI engine for NWN2 via NWNX. So, I'm intrigued by your intent to create a drama engine.
Please keep us posted on your progress, and feel free to ask many questions. Since our projects are so similar, I'm sure we'll find ourselves facing similar problems.
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:: Lead Script Design :: The World of Paladium II ::
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