Nasty problem with character import

[petri]

The game engine does not currently separate "natural" stats gained from character generation and leveling up from stat boosts of equipped item. So therefore importing characters from a save game does NOT remove stat modifiers from equipped items even though the items themselves are removed from inventory.

This is really difficult to fix and would require major overhaul of the stat system and also changes to the scripting interface. How big a problem is this?

[zeltak]

Personally I don't think it's that big of a problem, if there's a big sign telling about it. Although now people who have turned into a munchkin side of the force can ramp stats up with the save-import method.

[JohnWordsworth]

@Petri: That is a bit of a shame, as characters that have been through a few mods will be artificially much stronger than they should be (presumably we're talking a LOT stronger, as they will essentially be wearing a full set of gear for each mod they've been through). Would it be possible to import them with their equipment? Then we could destroy their equipment before the game starts if we wanted to?

I know this could possibly still be a massive programming faff, but another ideas might be to save their 'un-equipped' stats in the file by artificially removing their equipment just before you save. The only use those values would have in the save file is if you import those (sans equipment) into a new game? Sorry if you've already thought of these ideas, just thought I would throw what might be a 'quick implementation' idea your way incase you'd not thought of it - that might allow you to get around the bug without storing 'unmodded' and 'modded' stats all throughout Lua etc.

[Ixnatifual]

I actually think it would be best if they kept their items, but I can see how that can be a problem. Some of their items might not even exist in the new mod they''re imported into!

Anyway I think it's a rather big issue in terms of the character import feature. For modules where you start at level 1, which I suppose is the majority of modules by far, I suppose it doesn't matter, since there's no need to import. Personally I'd rather have the import feature scrapped than leave it in with this "bug." I don't think it's really a problem that munchkins can abuse this tactic, but rather that unwitting people will be abusing it because they either don't know how it works or because it's a hassle to avoid.

But is it not possible to have the characters unequip their items, normalising their stats, prior to import? What if the import worked differently - eg. instead of importing from a save game, you load a save game and use an "export feature" in which items are unequipped and a data file with the now "correctly statted" characters exist. Whereafter items are equipped again.

Or if you export while having items equipped you get an error message telling you to unequip all items.

[petri]

Transferring equipment between mods is not possible because item definitions may not exist in the new mod.

[Komag]

If this is information is published well enough, it might be acceptable to leave it to us to "purge" save-games of stat-boosting items by unequipping them and saving again, in order to prepare them for "honest" importing purposes. It could even be a note included in the tool-tip about "Import Characters", such as:

"Import characters from an existing save game. This option is only available when playing a user created dungeon. Equipment is not imported, but any stats (e.g. Strength) being boosted by equipped items will be become permanent unless the items are unequipped in the save game first."

(do item-effects like energy rate, food consumption rate, faster cooldown, etc, also carry over?)

[petri]

Ok, I worked around the problem by adding extra data to save games. Stats should now be correctly imported but only if the save game has been saved with the upcoming build that stores this extra data. Please test carefully when the new build arrives.

Thanks to all for the feedback!

[Neikun]

Round of applause for Petri, guys.

[HaunterV]

These guys are Working ridiculously fast.

Almost as if they aren't human..... lol

[antti]

Ah, upon testing we discovered yet another can of worms we didn't think of previously. Fixing...