Adding new Skill - how do you define Primary or Secondary?

Hi, I can easily add (define) a new skill, but how do I tell the FGU system whether this is a PRIMARY or SECONDARY skill?

When I did this (I added it in an external module which I then added into my campaign, and in that way the skill would be available everywhere), the skill appears as PRIMARY but when I load the module it appears as SECONDARY when I drag the skill into a character's skill list. So itis (and I am) a bit confused...

Thanks

Dakadin mentioned a little while ago that added skills are always Secondary Skills.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dakadin

No, unfortunately at this point it will only show up in the campaign skills list. Those tables are pulling from a very specific spot. They should show up when adding all secondary skills though. One other current limitation is new skills will be secondary skills. I need to redesign this whole system and maintain backward compatibility.

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Unfortunately, the ruleset is figuring out if a skill is primary or secondary based on where it was original stored in the Character Law module. The skills themselves don't currently have a way to specify if they are primary or secondary so the skills created in a campaign will always be secondary skills. If you have a module you can change the path to the primary skills to this:

reference.skilllist.primaryskills.list

The ruleset should see them as primary skills if they are at that location instead of just skills. Please let me know if you have any questions or issues getting them working.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dakadin

Unfortunately, the ruleset is figuring out if a skill is primary or secondary based on where it was original stored in the Character Law module. The skills themselves don't currently have a way to specify if they are primary or secondary so the skills created in a campaign will always be secondary skills. If you have a module you can change the path to the primary skills to this:

reference.skilllist.primaryskills.list

The ruleset should see them as primary skills if they are at that location instead of just skills. Please let me know if you have any questions or issues getting them working.

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Dakadin

I am having interesting things happen with this new skill.

I have added it in a separate module, which then gets added into the module where I am defining new professions.

In the module where the skill is defined it is shown as:

Quote:

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<category name="House Rules">
<id-00001>
<armorfactor type="number">0</armorfactor>
<calc type="number">1</calc>
<description type="formattedtext">
<p> .....
</description>
<name type="string">Rapid Reload Missiles</name>
<stats type="string">Ag/Qu</stats>
<type type="number">1</type>
</id-00001>
</category>

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When I load this exported module into a campaign where I am defining professions, the skill is added but is added as a primary skill (not a secondary skill). Here is the db.xml showing it:

Quote:

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<id-00031>
<name type="string">Rapid Reload Missiles</name>
<open type="windowreference">
<class>skill</class>
<recordname>reference.skilllist.primaryskills.list.id-00001@Shadow World Data</recordname>
</open>
</id-00031>
</primary>

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I note that it is showing as being primaryskills.list.id. It then appears in the new class I have created under PRIMARY skills.

However when you create a character with this class (under a different campaign) it appears a secondary skill.

If I move the above (<i>Primary skill 00031</i>) to the bottom of the secondary skills list and change it to be a secondary skill by changing the recordname to be <i>reference.skilllist.secondaryskills.list.id-00001@Shadow World Data</i>, it then appears under both Primary and Secondary skills in the new class definition.

Just to help explain the structure above (multiple modules):

Base campaign setting module: defines new skill
--> loaded into Class Definition module for defining new class: defines new classes
--> both the above are loaded into the adventure campaign module: provides new skill and new classes for players to choose.

1. In Base Campaign, skill is defined and appears under the standard (Character Law) classes as SECONDARY.
It is shown in the db.xml for this module as a secondary skill:

Quote:

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<id-00064>
<cost type="string">2/*</cost>
<name type="string">Rapid Reload Missiles</name>
<open type="windowreference">
<class>skill</class>
<recordname>skill.id-00001</recordname>
</open>
</id-00064>
</secondary>

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If I add a new class here, it appears in that class as a secondary skill list (note that this causes issues later on).

2. In Class Definition module, it appears as a PRIMARY skill under all professions (Character Law and the new defined ones). When you create a character and Add all primary skills, it appears in the list but it is shown as being a secondary skill.

3. In Adventure campaign,
a) it appears as a PRIMARY skill under all professions created in Character Law and the ones defined in the Class Definition module) when you look at the Profession, however appears as a SECONDARY skill when you do Skill development.

b) if I look at any class defined in the Base module (where they were showing as a Secondary skill), I get an error message when I open a profession defined in Base module and go to their Primary skills. If I go to their Seconday skills, I can see the new skill there (and no error message). Message appears when I view their primary skills only (and does so every time I open their primary skill list).
Attachment 48154

Hope this makes sense, and you can understand the mystery I am seeing.... not serious as for the players it all works (when they do DP allocation), but it is annoyingly inconsistent.

Thanks

Mike

Dakadin

I apologise for the long post above, and in thinking about this, was wondering whether I could build the error more easily, which I have done, and am documenting here so you can hopefully do this, test it and see the same issue/error.

I am assuming that that Primary/Secondary confusion on the skill is what leads to the error message and also the incorrect listing on a loaded module.

Anyway, here is how to replicate the problem (no extensions loaded):

1. Create new Rolemaster Classic campaign: Skill Definition
a) add a new skill;

b) add a new profession
The skill added in step 1a) should be shown in the new profession (secondary skill).
(I also added Arms, Spell and Character Law before doing the above so as to have a proper full RM set up)

c) assign a cost to all skills, including the new skill (secondary) that was added in step a)

d) Save this new campaign as a module

2. Create a new Rolemaster Classic campaign: Testing new skill
a) Add the Arms, Spell and Character Law so as to have a proper RM set up

b) Add the module from step 1: Skill Definition (with the new character class/profession and new skill definition)

c) Open the Professions list and go to your new profession, and chose the PRIMARY tab - Error box should appear.

If you then go to SECONDARY tab you will see the new skill listed

Even though skill is defined as Secondary (and appears so in step 1 campaign - Skill Definition and can be seen in Testing new Skill), as shown in attached image, the definition of it still assumes Primary and the error seems to indicate a cost issue.
Attachment 48159


I can provide the db.xml files for these 2 new campaigns if that helps, but here is an key extract from Skill Definition db.xml

Quote:

---

<skill>
<id-00001>
<armorfactor type="number">0</armorfactor>
<calc type="number">1</calc>
<description type="formattedtext">
<p>Test skill</p>
</description>
<group type="string">(group by type)</group>
<name type="string">-New Test Skill</name>
<stats type="string">Ag/Qu</stats>
<type type="number">1</type>
</id-00001>
</skill>

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Thanks

Mike

Hi Mike,

Try saving the module so it isn't read-only and it should fix the error you are seeing. Basically you don't want the static=true on the professions in the XML file. Please let me know if that doesn't resolve the issue for you.

Thanks,
Dakadin

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dakadin

Hi Mike,

Try saving the module so it isn't read-only and it should fix the error you are seeing. Basically you don't want the static=true on the professions in the XML file. Please let me know if that doesn't resolve the issue for you.

Thanks,
Dakadin

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Thanks Dakadin, yes that fixes the issue.

I had made the modules Read only as I wanted to prevent unwanted changes as these are my base modules for information, and have had issues previously where additions/changes were made and if I updated the base module information, that was not being reflected. Still learning a lot on howww FGU operates and how best to build things (this is my 1st real use of the system.... started big that's for sure :D)

Hi Mike,

Normally, that would be fine but the issue is if you want to be able to dynamically add skills and then set costs on a profession then they need to be read/write so that FGU has a place to store the skill costs. Basically when opening those tabs on the professions, it is checking for missing skills and adding them so that they are ready to be used. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Dakadin

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mikegraf

I had made the modules Read only as I wanted to prevent unwanted changes as these are my base modules for information, and have had issues previously where additions/changes were made and if I updated the base module information, that was not being reflected.

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You're correct - if the module data has been changed in a campaign, changing the base module data won't be reflected in that campaign. You can tell FG thinks it's edited as there will be a book and quill icon to the right of the record, whereas unedited module records just show a book icon. To go back to the base module data, right-click on the edited module record in the campaign data list and click "Revert Changes". If you want to do this for the whole module, right-click -> revert changes on the module in the Library -> Module Activation window.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Trenloe

You're correct - if the module data has been changed in a campaign, changing the base module data won't be reflected in that campaign. You can tell FG thinks it's edited as there will be a book and quill icon to the right of the record, whereas unedited module records just show a book icon. To go back to the base module data, right-click on the edited module record in the campaign data list and click "Revert Changes". If you want to do this for the whole module, right-click -> revert changes on the module in the Library -> Module Activation window.

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Trenloe - thanks for this. Did not know you could do this. Will give it a go when needed, but a huge feature and definitely worth knowing.

Many thanks