Placeable

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Interactive Objects are the objects placed in the designer toolset that the end-user can interact with. They are also known as placeable objects.

Designers place interactive objects in area using the Area Editor. Placeable and trigger templates must be created prior to being placed in an area. In the toolset, doors are considered to be just another form of placeables.

Interactive objects are placed in the Area Editor of the Designer toolest. They can be interacted with by the player in-game.

Like all objects, interactive objects receive only one event. Information encoded in this event can be used to determine if this is a default action or a secondary action (for example, determining whether the player is picking the placeable's lock or simply bashing it open).

Note: If you want to make placeable visible but not interactive set Interactive to False. If you set Active to False object won't be visible.

Locked Objects

Any interactive object can be locked (though generally it only makes sense to do so with containers and doors). If the character's lockpicking skill is higher than the lock, the lock is opened.

Interactive objects cannot be trapped in the manner that Neverwinter objects were trapped (i.e., no trapped chests or doors). Instead, a placeable object can be set as the trigger for an associated trap object; Dragon Age generally does this via floor plates that trigger when stepped on.

Destroying Objects

All interactive objects need a destroyed animation. If a container is destroyed the contents of its inventory are transferred to a Bodybag. Some of the items may be destroyed (scripting determines the chance of this).

Types of Interactive Objects

The function that a placeable performs when interacted with is defined by its appearance, as listed in Placeables.xls.

Doors

Doors can be opened and closed by the player. They restrict access between portions of an area.

• Examples: Door, Cage Door, Secret door
• Default Action: When a character clicks on the door it opens with an animation.
• Secondary Action: The character attacks the door with his equipped weapon
• Doors are special and get their own page describing additional details.

Trigger-Animating

These are items that a player clicks on to activate something elsewhere on a level. Usually this means a locked or secret door somewhere on the level, though sometimes it might summon a monster or sound the alarm for the entire level.

• Examples: Lever, gong, turning wheel.
• Default Action: When a character clicks on the object, it plays an animation and an effect. The effect can be a script, a sound, a spell or a combination.
• Secondary Action: The character attacks the object with his equipped weapon.

Container-Animating

These are common containers where a player can find treasure. These objects play a simple ‘open’ animation when left clicked.

• Examples: Chest, Armoire, Safe.
• Default Action: An open animation is played. The container’s inventory is shown on a GUI. If the container is locked, then the character’s lock picking skill is compared against the lock’s complexity.
• Secondary Action: The character attacks the container with his equipped weapon.

Container-Static

These are common containers where a player can find treasure. These containers have no ‘open’ animation.

• Examples: Bookshelf, bush (with material components), corpse.
• Default Action: The container’s inventory is shown on a GUI. Static containers cannot be locked.
• Secondary Action: The character attacks the container with his equipped weapon.

Cage

These are cages where animals or prisoners are kept. Players can release prisoners as an act of good will or simply to interrogate them for information. Animals can be released to act as temporary allies.

• Examples: Animal cage, gaol.
• Default Action: An open animation is played. If the cage is locked, then the character’s lock picking skill is compared against the lock’s complexity.
• Secondary Action: The character attacks the cage with his equipped weapon.

Informational

These are notes or signs that a player can click on to learn important information about the game. They range from simply location signs to notes giving information about a plot.

• Examples: Road sign, note on wall.
• Default Action: A GUI pops up displaying the text of the message.
• Secondary Action: Nothing happens.

Selectable Trap

These are traps that originate from visible (and thus selectable and destroyable) objects. They can also can be disarmed by disarming their floor trigger - i.e., sinking floor piece - (see Trap Triggers).

• Examples: Archer statue that fires arrows (after player steps on floor piece). Dragon statue that breathes fire(after player steps on floor piece).
• Default Action: Trap triggers, targeting the character that selected it.
• Secondary Action: The character attacks the trap with his equipped weapon.

Non-Selectable Trap

These are hidden traps that spring from the walls, floor or ceiling. These traps cannot be selected or destroyed directly BUT they can be disarmed by disarming their floor trigger - i.e., sinking floor piece - (see Trap Triggers).

• Examples: Pendulum blade, scything blade.
• Default Action: Cannot target trap.
• Secondary Action: Cannot target trap.

Trap Trigger

All traps need to be associated with a floor trigger. When a character walks over a floor trigger, the trap will activate. If two or more characters are selected, the one with the highest trap skill is the one that moves to disarm the trap.

• Examples: Sinking floor piece.
• Default Action: If the character has the ‘Traps’ skill, then he plays a ‘disarm’ animation and his skill is compared against the difficulty of the trap. Characters without the traps skill cannot select the trap trigger.
• Secondary Action: The character attacks the trigger with his equipped weapon. This triggers the trap.

Area Effect Item/Informational

These are objects that a character can attack, triggering an event that has an immediate effect on the battlefield. When a character attacks one of these objects, the object usually falls over and deals damage to any creature in its area of effect. If a player just left clicks on one of these objects, he will receive a text message.

• Examples: Weakened pillar (pillar collapses into rubble), old rotting tree (tree falls over), chandelier (rope is cut, chandelier smashes into floor and vanishes), marble statue (statue tips over), window (window smashes, leaving glass all over floor), boulder (rolls along preset path).
• Default Action: A GUI pops up displaying the text of a message.
• Secondary Action: The character attacks the trigger with his equipped weapon. If the player has the appropriate strength, then the item plays its ‘area effect damage’ animation.

Area Effect Item/Container

These These are objects that a character can attack, triggering an event that has an immediate effect on the battlefield. When a character attacks one of these objects, the object usually falls over and deals damage to any creature in its area of effect. If a player just left clicks on one of these objects, it will act as a container.

• Examples: Bag of flour (explodes into cloud of flour), wagon with barrels (wagon tips and barrels spill over floor), bookcase (bookcase tips over).
• Default Action: The container’s inventory is shown on a GUI.
• Secondary Action: The character attacks the trigger with his equipped weapon. If the player has the appropriate strength, then the item plays its ‘area effect damage’ animation.

Furniture

Characters can either sit down or lie down on these objects.

• Examples: Chair, couch, bed, bench.
• Default Action: The character either sits down or lies down on the furniture object. As soon as the player clicks to move, he will stand up.
• Secondary Action: The character attacks the object with his equipped weapon.

Puzzle

The player clicks and triggers an interactive dialog with the object

• Examples: any puzzle object.
• Default Action: Trigger dialog.
• Secondary Action: The character attacks the object with his equipped weapon.

Area Transition

These are visible or invisible objects used to transition between areas.

• Examples: Large Gate
• Default Action: Transition into destination area.
• Secondary Action: Nothing happens.

How will designers assign appearances to interactive objects?

• This will be done through the Toolset appearance field. It refers placeables.2da
• Each placeable has a Type.
• Each TYPE corresponds to an Animation State Type (example, the AnimCnt_Door sheet in placeables.2da controls the door states). This controls the type of animations available to this object. There should be 10-15 types or so
  • Death
  • Damaged
  • Normal State
  • Others...
• Each Animation State Type refers to a list of animations in the Animations 2da (ANIM_Placeables.xls)

How will battle-field damage work?

• Interactive Objects will not have DECALS or BATTLE-SCARING.
• Interactive Objects will have a Damage state, in addition to the Death state that they all have. Example damage states:
  • A chest might have a chunk of wood taken out of its front
  • A cask of ale might start leaking ale

Use Points

Objects will have use points to indicate where people using them stand. There will be multiple use points on an object.

Use points will need to be activated relative to what state they are in (i.e., an overturned pillar will have different action points than an upright pillar).

Use points may also need to be labeled and are activated relative to a players position. This seems likely how are doors will work. Since we decided that doors in Dragon Age will function like real-world doors, they will always open in the same direction every time. This means that the use point I use is NOT relative to the state, but instead to the position of the character. We might need use points labeled.

This system will probably also be used by creatures (a dragon might have Front-Claw Use Point, Tail Use Point et cetera)

How Will Sitting and Sleeping Work?

• All things that can be sat on will need a consistent Height and Width
• All things that can be slept on will need a consistent Height and Width
• Animals will not be able to sit or sleep on anything
• Animation will create sit & sleep animations for Elves, Dwarves, Humans
• The player can’t sit — only ambient NPCs.

The current planned interactive object animation system should be able to handle the "sitting" and "lying down" of creatures.

What happens if no animations exist for an action?

Example: E.g A creature uses an object for which there is no proper animation, like a Dog opens a chest.

The chest will still open but if no animations were created to show Dog opening the chest, none will play.

Variables

For var_placeable:

Variable name	Type	Default	Description
PLC_AT_DEST_AREA_TAG	string	none	resource name of an area transition door's destination area
PLC_AT_DEST_TAG	string	none	resource name of the waypoint within that area to send the PC to.
PLC_AT_WORLD_MAP_ACTIVE_1 to 5	string	none	resource name of pins on the world map that should be made active when the player uses this area transition to reach the world map.
PLC_CODEX_FLAG	int	-1	Flag within the CODEX_PLOT plot that is set when this placeable is examined.
PLC_CODEX_PLOT	string	none	resource name of a plot containing a codex page that is given to the player when this placeable is examined.
PLC_COUNTER_1 to 3	int	0	generic counter variables
PLC_DO_ONCE_A and B	int	0	flags for behaviors that happen only once
PLC_FLIP_COVER_USE_COUNT	int	0	Flip cover has been removed from the default ruleset
PLC_SPAWN_NON_INTERACTIVE	int	0
PLC_TRAP_*			see Trap system
TS_OVERRIDE_*			See Treasure system
TS_TREASURE_GENERATED	int		See Treasure system

If you use the var_placeable_react 2da instead, the above variables are all included and the following are added:

Variable name	Type	Default	Description
PLC_REACT_DESTROY_SET_FLAG	int		When placeable is destroyed set this flag
PLC_REACT_DESTROY_SET_PLOT	string		When placeable is destroyed set this plot
PLC_REACT_INVENTORY_REMOVED_SET_FLAG	int		When the PC takes something from the placeable fire this flag
PLC_REACT_INVENTORY_REMOVED_SET_PLOT	string		When the PC takes something from the placeable fire this plot
PLC_REACT_OVERRIDE_USE_BEHAVIOR	int	0	Makes it so what's supposed to happen when you use the placeable doesn't happen (e.g. a door doesn't open)
PLC_REACT_REPEAT	int	1	Whether or not the placeable reaction script will fire multiple times (default to TRUE)
PLC_REACT_USE_SET_FLAG	int	0	When placeable is used fire this flag
PLC_REACT_USE_SET_PLOT	string		When placeable is used fire this plot

Properties

⊟	General
	Appearance	Appearance type for the placeable
	Character	One or more placeables can be mapped to a single character.
	Comments	General information about this placeable.
	Conversation	Default conversation resource for this placeable.
	Group	The placeable's group as specified in groups.2da. Each group can be either hostile or non-hostile towards each other.
	Name	Name of the placeable as seen in the game.
	NameRequiresReTranslation	A true/false flag used during game development for localization work
	Plot	True/false, if true the placeable cannot be damaged or affected by any hostile effect.
	PopupText	[Undocumented]
	PopupTextRequiresReTranslation	A true/false flag used during game development for localization work
	Rank	Placeables are never involved in combat, but their combat rank is still used by the treasure system when generating treasure.
	Resource Name	A unique string identifier the tooleset and the game both use to refer to this resource.
	Script	Event script assigned to the resource.
	Tag	A non-unique string identifier used mostly by scripts and other resources to refer to this resource.
	Team	Numeric identifier of the team the placeable belongs to. Team numbers are often used in scripting.
	Treasure Category	Determines what variety of treasure is generated by the treasure system
	Variable 2da	Allows selecting a variable table. Only the values in this table can be set and retrieved by scripting.
	Variables	Displays the table selected in the "Variable 2da" field. Allows setting initial states for parameters.
⊟	Key
	Auto Remove Key	Sets whether the game will remove a key from inventory once used to open this placeable.
	Key Required	Sets whether or not a key is the only way to open this placeable
	Key Tag	The tag of the key needed to open this placeable
⊟	Sound
	Close to Open Sound	Sound emitted when the object changes from a closed state to an opened state
	Destroyed Sound	Sound emitted when the object is destroyed
	Hit Sound	Sound emitted when the object is hit for damage
	Locked Sound	Sound emitted when an attempt is made to open a locked object
	Open to Close Sound	Sound emitted when the object changes from an opened to a closed state.
	Used Sound	Sound emitted when the object is "used" (generically).
⊟	Stats
	Health	Amount of health the placeable currently has
	Initial State	The animation state the placeable will be in when first spawned.
	Interactive	Sets whether or not this placeable can be clicked on during the game.
	Inventory List	Opens the inventory panel and enables user to assign items to the placeable's inventory
	Max Health	The maximum amount of health this placeable can have.
	Pick Lock Level	The difficulty level to pick the lock
⊟	Trap
	Is Trapped	Sets whether or not a trap trigger is linked to this placeable
	Trap Detection Difficulty	Sets the skill level required to detect this trap.
	Trap Disarm Difficulty	Sets the skill level required to disarm this trap.

See also

• Chanter's board