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Removing xp

Tonight I tackled removing the xp from the game using xpath. This involved going deeper into nodes than I ever had before. Someone had suggested a few weeks back changing one of the multipliers to 0 and I discovered that this worked like a charm. But now I wanted to do it by xpath instead of changing the xml file itself. Here are some things I learned:

1) It is easier to start from the end of a string of nodes and work your way back to the top. I tried starting at windows/window/.... and working my way deep deep into where the xp multiplier settings were but that was way too difficult. So instead I went to the very end and went backwards and just like solving a maze it was a lot easier that way.

2) Defaults are hardwired. I tried to "force the issue" by removing all options and just having 0 as the only choice hoping it would become the default. It didn't work. 100% must be the default but I could have 0% as an alternative option. So in my mod I will have just 0 and 100 as the only two choices and I'll just have to mention in the mod description that the player will have to select 0% in the options.

3) You have to mirror the organization of the config file. Since the windows xml file I needed was inside the XUi_Menu folder I had to create a matching folder and a matching windows file inside that folder and then use <XUi_Menu> and </XUi_Menu> as the directory for my xpath instead of <config> </config>. It makes sense in hindsight but it took me a lot of trial and error before I figured it out.

 
In notepad++

Check out what the little minus symbols do in an xml. They "squish" the node down, and you can use that to make it easier to follow node in node action.

delNodes.png


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...might help in visually "seeing" the nodes better in xml.

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...btw, loving the "Diary of Roland the Modder". =)

 
Ah....I feel stupid. I saw that in Buggi's video but forgot. Thanks for the reminder. That would have been very smart to do.

I hope that my misadventures might encourage people who feel that modding is too hard-- to give it a try. I literally knew nothing and by asking questions and carefully comparing what others have done and trying to do it the same way for what I want to do I have started having some success. I'm very much a beginner but it is starting to make more sense. Thinking in terms of layers of nodes has been a big help in understanding the format and just diving in and trying.

I am starting to understand the "special hell" that will be reserved for whoever is responsible for the wiping the sweat animation and the bleached out beginning. I started about 7 new games last night as I tried to figure out what I needed to change to make it work the way I wanted....lol.

impyb.jpg


 
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...just 7? I was into the 40's I think between two computers doing the skillpoint bit. :)

Try hand placement on vehicles. There's a reason my newer vehicles will all have tinted windows...

 
Sometimes you bark up the wrong tree...

I thought that it was really cool that I could just modify the options menu to make all xp disappear with one fell swoop. But it has caused dead ends in other areas.

So I'm scrapping that idea and going at it from a different direction. My new plan:

Remove xp gaining from all activities directly in the various files wherever it resides and then make the daily timed increase be a single amount of xp that will result in earning the point AND leveling up. In this way the player will level up every day (as long as they don't die) and their gamestage will progress. I originally resisted this tactic because I didn't know about xpath but since educating myself it really is quite easy to mass change the experience attached to materials and entities so now that is a viable option for me.

Also I think I will be able to do the timer thing without needed SDX to make it so you gain a skill point which is not currently supported while gaining xp is supported.

I have managed to get rid of all xp so far except xp from looting containers. Still hunting for where that resides....

 
I could me mistaken on this part, but I /think/ you'd have to account for the different xp levels?

Or is it a straight line?

i.e. every 10k xp gives 1 skillpoint, or is it 10k for the 1st, 15k for the 2nd, 17k for the 3rd, 19.5k for the 4th, etc?

 
That part is actually easy. It’s the first line in progression and It’s simply a multiplier that causes the xp amount needed to level to get higher each time. I’ll just change the multiplier to 1.0 and then it will stay a flat amount. Then I’ll just award that amount at the end of your timer you made for me and that way the player will get a skillpoint and level up at the same time—as long as they don’t die.

 
Well today was full of fail on the modding front.

I tried several different ways to try and add a way to give myself 10000 xp as part of the buff timer that Guppy created for me. The closest I got was adding a passive_effect that did in fact give 10000 at the end of the timer but only if I opened a container during the five second window of the buff that reset the timer. I have no idea why it would only work if I looted a container and not just happen.

Anyway I'm at a dead end on this and have no idea what to do...sigh

Daughter wants dinner. I can do that. Win.

 
...bet you burn her food ...

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What if you talked to a trader to get your xp? Then you could handle it in quests... And it sort of role plays well.

Or just wait for Sphereii to finish. :)

 
...bet you burn her food ...
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What if you talked to a trader to get your xp? Then you could handle it in quests... And it sort of role plays well.

Or just wait for Sphereii to finish. :)
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Possibly. I had changed all quests to award a skill point in order to simulate being trained by the trader as part of the reward for doing his task. I could just have them all award xp equal to a level up and that would be equivalent except then the player might level too quickly. My whole objective was to remove the xp incentives for doing things and make it simply a function of time.

I might try it and see how I like it. Perhaps with xp removed from everything else it will still have the same feel. It would give the player some control over gamestage.

Do quests and go up in level, gain skillpoints, increase gamestage

Don't do quests and stay at current level and gamestage but still slowly gain skillpoints for surviving for 60 minutes.

Perhaps....worth a try at any rate while I'm waiting for the SDX wizards to help me.

 
I would love to use this sort of mod.

Capping progression per time unit makes Zombies a threat, a problem to looting or building, but not a recompense by itself. This allows to increase wandering hordes and city hordes, while not giving infinite exp away. It also gives more time for various activities without altering progression. I find this much more balance and less killing oriented.

Maybe this one is a little too extreme, maybe you could reach the same benefits while maintaining exp level (cap the daily exp, maybe splitting it into perks depending on what the player did during the day). Could we have the daily level be gained on the first Z you kill each day ?

Anyway, congratz for the hard work !

 
Ditto.

When you are finished, let us take this out for a spin. Finally, surviving will mean AVOIDING the enemy where possible. As it should :D

 
Maybe there's a way to use the trader to get your 1 point per day thing. I think the trader renews his/her inventory once a day. So perhaps there could be a free point in his inventory once a day. You'd have to visit him daily to get the point, which seems like it might be a pita, but just spitballing an idea. (granted, I have no idea if this is even possible)

 
Maybe there's a way to use the trader to get your 1 point per day thing. I think the trader renews his/her inventory once a day. So perhaps there could be a free point in his inventory once a day. You'd have to visit him daily to get the point, which seems like it might be a pita, but just spitballing an idea. (granted, I have no idea if this is even possible)
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Hi Beelzy!

Traders renew their inventory every 3 days.

 
Maybe there's a way to use the trader to get your 1 point per day thing. I think the trader renews his/her inventory once a day. So perhaps there could be a free point in his inventory once a day. You'd have to visit him daily to get the point, which seems like it might be a pita, but just spitballing an idea. (granted, I have no idea if this is even possible)
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Thanks for the idea. Guppy's mod is actually perfect. I had originally planned on having the player get a skillpoint each morning if they hadn't died the night before. Guppy's timer makes it so you get a skillpoint for surviving 60 minutes of real time and the timer resets if you die. I actually like that better.

I'm hopeful to be able to get this mod posted in the mod section soon. The only barrier right now is gamestage but I am working with StompyNZ to see if it is possible to earn a player level from gaining a skillpoint instead of a set amount of xp. He just did a test and was able to make it so that quest rewards would grant a skillpoint and a level. That could be an interesting alternative.

1) Gain a skillpoint every 60 minutes of real time survival.

2) Gain a skillpoint and player level for completing quests for the trader.

This would model getting training from the trader in return for doing a job for him. Almost like you are his apprentice. It would also give the player complete control over how fast they level up. Want to just play and get more powerful without increasing gamestage? Avoid quests. Want to increase the gamestage and experience tougher enemies? Do more quests.

This is an alternative to my original plan which would have been

1) Gain a skillpoint and level every 60 minutes of real time survival

2) Gain a skillpoint and level for completing quests for the trader

This model would have gamestage progressing daily bit by bit no matter what (other than dying). I kind of like at least some of the control of the world difficulty progression being out of the hands of the player.

Either would be cool and as soon as I can get the help I need to work out a solution I will get this posted for whoever wishes to try it. I have been playing it and advancing my level simply by opening the console and typing giveselfxp 5000 having modded the progression to be a static 5000 xp per level. It really is a game changer knowing that there is zero xp reward for taking actions. Actions are purely rewarding for the in game objectives they help the player reach. Zombies can be killed, ignored, stealthed,...whatever with no opportunity cost of lost xp. Player advancement is purely a matter of surviving successfully and doing tasks for the trader. It is definitely a different feel.

 
Oh, I'd love some help with a name too..

7D-0XP

7 Days: The Apprentice

Training Quests

ya....I need help.

 
Exp-Lore, Zombies are not resources, Learn by waiting, 7 day to fly, no free exp

I didn't say my help was gonna be useful :)

 
Ha! Something called Rolmod would have to include the invisible HUD—and I want this to be successful ;)

 
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