Content Development: Harvesting

[theFoof]

So I finally finished up some of the basic data entry we needed to get done for harvesting. I'm going to explain how devs can setup harvesting nodes now. FYI we don't have a DBEditor page for harvesting node loot tables yet. If you need something added just ask for now, the data should be fairly static anyway.

**NOTE** Xinux mostly automated the next paragraph except for skinnable NPC, you can skip this step for most nodes.

The first thing you're going to want to do is find the NPC you are setting up as a node. Use .spawn details on it and look at the name/spawn ID. Find the spawn in the DBEditor at Game Content->Unreal Data Filters, select it and on the pawn tab set the harvesting id to one on this list.

Code: Select all

| harvesting_skill | node_description | harvesting_id | 
| Mining | Copper T1 | 1 | 
| Mining | Draconite T6 | 11 | 
| Mining | Mithril T5 | 10 | 
| Mining | Pyrite T4 | 9 | 
| Mining | Iron T3 | 8 | 
| Mining | Tin T2 | 7 | 
| Lumberjacking | Sapling T0 | 6 | 
| Lumberjacking | Knotted T4 | 19 | 
| Lumberjacking | Dusky T5 | 20 | 
| Lumberjacking | Weakened T1 | 3 | 
| Lumberjacking | Aged T6 | 21 | 
| Lumberjacking | Dry T3 | 18 | 
| Lumberjacking | Barbed T2 | 17 | 
| Quarrying | Obsidian T6 | 16 | 
| Quarrying | Granite T5 | 15 | 
| Quarrying | Limestone T4 | 14 | 
| Quarrying | Sandstone T3 | 13 | 
| Quarrying | Slate T2 | 12 | 
| Quarrying | Basalt T1 | 2 | 
| Quarrying | Shale T0 | 32
| Reaping | Vielthread T5 | 30 | 
| Reaping | Silkbloom T4 | 29 | 
| Reaping | Firegrass T3 | 28 | 
| Reaping | Cotton T2 | 27 | 
| Reaping | Steelweave T6 | 31 | 
| Reaping | Jute T1 | 4 | 
| Skinning | Weathered T5 | 25 | 
| Skinning | Smooth T6 | 26 | 
| Skinning | Stiff T3 | 23 | 
| Skinning | Ratty T2 | 22 | 
| Skinning | Mangled T1 | 5 | 
| Skinning | Coarse T4 | 24 | 

After a reload spawns, this NPC will now be harvestable with the assigned table.

Where the bulk of the content work comes in is with spawn groups/normal spawn cleanup. This part is more of an art than a science but I'll give you the TLDR on setting up a spawn group.

The spawn group page in the editor is at Game Content->Spawn Group Filters. You'll see an Add a Spawn Group button on the right, click it and setup a spawn group. For this example set Max Nodes spawned to 1, Spawn Order to FIFO, Spawn Delay 5. You should now be on the editing page for this spawn group. <To get back here later just select this spawn group from the filters page .spawn details will display a spawn's spawn group ID>

Find 2 or more spawns you want to group, and on the Spawn Entry tab of this spawn group's edit page add add all of their location IDs. After a .reload spawngroups these spawns are now grouped. After one has been harvested, another should spawn roughly 5 seconds later (the 5 second spawn delay). They should keep spawning in the same order once they have all been cycled though once.


Finally, I have setup the harvesting tutorial quests in Tursh Village as an example. Check out Reyonie Turnbull in that chunk if you're a player that wants to start harvesting. Other NPCs will need to be setup. There will probably need to be some cooperation between the different trainer scripts since they are tied together for this whole system. Content devs feel free to change my quest scripts/Reyonie's script as needed because I'm sure it isn't 100% proper behavior, but I wanted you to at least have an idea of how to allow a player to progress harvesting. The main thing you need to do is set the player's harvesting skill ID for primary/secondary and increase their max level in that skill.

Here's more detail on spawn groups: viewtopic.php?f=16&t=2277&p=19701

And harvesting itself: viewtopic.php?f=16&t=2299&p=19829

[Starcrusher]

Nice! Is there provision for the linked fields mechanic?

[theFoof]

[quote="Starcrusher"]Nice! Is there provision for the linked fields mechanic?[/quote]

I'm assuming you mean 2 linked groups where one group spawns then another will start spawning after that group is harvesting, we're going to skip that for now because I think it more over-complicates things than adds anything to the game play. One thing you could do is just set the respawn times on each of the spawn groups for a period of time so that the player is forced to either wait out the timer or run to the other group.

If there's a big demand for this later it's something that can just be added on.

[Jakkal]

Some notes while going through the Tursh harvesting quest:

The saplings take too long to respawn, they were almost instantaneous, I want to say maybe 10 seconds for a respawn? THat's just the saplings, not other harvesting nodes. There are also at least two spawn points that have two trees up at the same time, can we spawn combine them?

I really love that my character UI changes to a harvesting icon! In live it was the normal adventuring attack icon. That's awesome!

I noticed that the Dahknarg harvesting quests weren't in the database. I can't recall the procedure for this. Does Xinux need to add the quest numbers for us or is that something we can do by ourselves?

According to the Dahknarg harvesting guy, it's these quests:
local Harvest_a_Sapling_Log = 491
local Harvest_Sapling_Timber = 492
local Harvesting_Skills = 2299

[Moldew]

You can change respawn timers under the location placements.

[theFoof]

[quote="Jakkal"]The saplings take too long to respawn, they were almost instantaneous, I want to say maybe 10 seconds for a respawn? THat's just the saplings, not other harvesting nodes. There are also at least two spawn points that have two trees up at the same time, can we spawn combine them?[/quote]

Yes, feel free to do any kind of tweaks to the spawns. I really only set up the quest so it could be completed but I never harvested on live so I don't know the finer details.

[quote="Jakkal"]I noticed that the Dahknarg harvesting quests weren't in the database. I can't recall the procedure for this. Does Xinux need to add the quest numbers for us or is that something we can do by ourselves?[/quote]

Xinux will have to weigh in on that, not sure.

[Jakkal]

So it looks like Lomshir's harvesting instructor is missing two of the quests. He's missing the first one and the last one. The second one is present. (Where you turn the bits into larger pieces).

Script of the NPC in question: http://editor.vgoemulator.net:9302/scri ... or&id=2114

[Xinux]

Need the name of the missing quests.

[Jakkal]

Since they're not on the trainer, and there's nothing else for lomshir coming up in the DBE, I'm going to assume it's the same for the quest in BC: Harvest a Chunk of Shale

The last one should be "Harvesting Skills"

[Xinux]

Well you should have access to create quests so go for it.