Bigshot and Crossbow Problems

[Rakshakvana]

Is it possible to use bigshot with crossbows? I can't figure out how. Nothing but errors any script I try. Bigshot seems to have some built in support for archery and that seems to conflict with scripts where I try to fix errors I'm running into.

Anyone have a script that works?

[phalen33]

I use bigshot with my ranger who uses a mechanical heavy crossbow. I use a script which I call fire. On the commands tab of bigshot I set my hunting command to be script fire which will run my script when attacking. Bigshot will wait for the script to finish before continuing. The script will kneel, hide, cock my crossbow, and fire.

What kind of errors are you running into? We can either try to fix your script or I can modify mine to work for you if you like.

[Rakshakvana]

Well crossbow mechanics seem to be garbage looks like I need a mechanical heavy crossbow, are they expensive? Where does one get them? I'm using a regular heavy crossbow and its impossible to hunt rats even.

If I run an all in one script like that:

put cock crossbow
waitfor you cock
pause
put take 1 bolt from back
waitfor you remove
put load cross
waitfor you load


does:


.fire

[Press the ESCape key to abort script.]
kneel
hide
cock crossbow
You are already kneeling.
[Script]>Roundtime: 3 sec.
You attempt to blend with the surroundings, and feel confident that no one has noticed your doing so.
[Script]>
...wait 3 seconds.
[Script]>


So, useless

[cwolff]

Mechanical crossbows are anywhere fro 5-10million depending on the current market. They're an event item but come up for sale here.

I've got one I'll sell for 8m which is a 5x unlocked heavy crossbow. 8m is what I paid for it and I've not fixskilled a character to use it yet so I am not in a rush to sell it but the market may have softened on them since I bought it.

[Rakshakvana]

Yeah well I'd have to give you cash for it, as my account is new

This is so stupid that in 20 years they havn't been able to make crossbows usable off the shelf for a rat hunter.



Giant Log of How Crossbows Suck for Newbies:


A giant rat sniffs the air anxiously.

A giant rat glances around, sure that it has missed something...

[Script]>
A giant rat sniffs the air anxiously.

A giant rat glances around, sure that it has missed something...

[Script]>
A giant rat scampers in!
[Script]>fire rat
But your heavy crossbow is not cocked!
[Script]>
A giant rat sniffs the air anxiously.

A giant rat glances around, sure that it has missed something...

[Script]>cock cross
You cock your heavy crossbow.
Roundtime: 10 sec.
[Script]>l cross
You see an inky black heavy crossbow which is cocked and not loaded.
You see nothing unusual.
[Script]>take 1 bolt
...wait 2 seconds.
[Script]>
take 1 bolt
You come out of hiding.
You pick up a wooden heavy crossbow bolt.
[Script]>take 1 bolt from back
You need a free hand to pick that up.
[Script]>
A giant rat tries to bite you!
AS: +34 vs DS: -35 with AvD: +33 + d100 roll: +5 = +107
... and hits for 3 points of damage!
Thrust glances off your knee.
Might be stiff tomorrow, but it's okay now.
[Script]>hide
A giant rat notices your attempt to hide!
Roundtime: 10 sec.
[Script]>l
[Wehnimer's, Catacombs]
Several niches in the stone walls of this small, musty chamber hold heaps of dust, tarnished trinkets and shreds of cloth. The sunken, dried face of a crumpled corpse in the center of the room still wears an expression of shock and horror. Small, furry creatures dart in and out of a jagged opening, where some stones have been removed, in the far wall. As it dawns on you that they cannot be the source of the loud, sinister scraping noises coming from the east, a chill runs down your spine. You also see a giant rat, a giant rat, a giant rat, a giant rat and a giant rat.
Obvious exits: east, west
[Script]>
A giant rat tries to bite you!
AS: +34 vs DS: -36 with AvD: +33 + d100 roll: +33 = +136
... and hits for 17 points of damage!
Blow raises a welt on your left arm.
[Script]>
A giant rat tries to bite you!
AS: +34 vs DS: -37 with AvD: +33 + d100 roll: +23 = +127
... and hits for 13 points of damage!
Quick slash to your upper right arm!
Just a nick

It seems you have died, my friend. Although you cannot do anything, you are keenly aware of what is going on around you...

You realize that you have no outstanding favors which Lorminstra owes you, and without having accomplished a deed for Her, your soul is in danger of vanishing from the land forever!

...departing in 10 mins...
The giant rat squeaks excitedly!

[Script]>
A giant rat squeaks anxiously!

A giant rat scampers east.
[Script]>
[lnet: rejecting request from GSIV:Skaster for location...]
A giant rat scampers east.
[Script]>
[lnet: rejecting request from GSIV:Skaster for location...]
A giant rat scampers east.
[Script]>
A giant rat suddenly lets out a loud squeak as it glares about.
[Script]>
A giant rat scampers east.
[Script]>
A giant rat scampers in!
[Script]>
Tandriil's group just arrived.
[Script]>
Seiba looks over your corpse, as if making sure you're dead.
[Script]>
A giant rat scampers in!
[Script]>
A giant rat tries to bite Tandriil!
AS: +34 vs DS: +72 with AvD: +34 + d100 roll: +76 = +72
A clean miss.
[Script]>
Suddenly you have the strangest feeling that you are being watched.
The feeling fades as quickly as it came.
[Script]>
A giant rat tries to bite Seiba!
In the nick of time, Seiba interposes her iron warblade between herself and the blow!
[Script]>
Tandriil tried to begin dragging you, but your group status is closed. Type "GROUP OPEN" to permit yourself to be dragged.
[Script]>
Seiba says, "Oh dear.'."
[Script]>
Tandriil's group just went through a jagged opening.
[Script]>
Tandriil's group just came through a jagged opening.
[Script]>'Don't bother.
You say, "Don't bother."
[Script]>'Crossbows
You say, "Crossbows."
[Script]>

[Script aborted.]
A giant rat tries to bite Seiba!
Seiba skillfully interposes her warblade between herself and the incoming strike, deflecting it harmlessly to the side!
>
A giant rat tries to bite Seiba!
AS: +34 vs DS: +51 with AvD: +33 + d100 roll: +44 = +60
A clean miss.
>
Tandriil asks, "What?"
>
A giant rat tries to bite Tandriil!
AS: +34 vs DS: +72 with AvD: +34 + d100 roll: +65 = +61
A clean miss.
>
Tandriil gestures sharply and recites an esoteric command...
Tandriil gestures at a giant rat.
CS: +52 - TD: +3 + CvA: +25 + d100: +93 == +167
Warding failed!
A torrent of arcane energy blasts the giant rat for 11 points of damage!
... 10 points of damage!
Light blow to left leg.
>
Seiba says, "Crossbows?'."
>'Crossbows!
You exclaim, "Crossbows!"

depart

Being dead is truly boring...but things could be worse. You could be bored AND in pain.

If you wish to depart this plane, so as to immediately continue on your journey, please click DEPART CONFIRM.

>
Skaster just arrived.
>
Skaster just went west.
>depart confirm
The world before you dissolves into a grainy montage of color...

[cwolff]

Ya that does suck and crossbows are unwieldy as shit. Your STR will increase which will help that cock roundtime.

The issue here may be command input problems or a line or two in a script that's out of whack. Some ideas that might help are using a loot script which auto gathers your bolts, or changing your script to get rid of the [Script]>take 1 bolt line and only have it take 1 bolt from your bolt in backpack.

Mechanical 0x crossbows may be hard to find and you can't use my mechanical one until lvl 13. Probably the best solution is to post your scripts and have someone tweak it for you. Are you scripting for SF or LICH?

[Rakshakvana]

Well Bigshot does some extremely weird things with archery itself I can't figure out how to get it to "go" with bows so I fell back to SF scripting manually to see if it would work at all, but it doesn't. Runs into a weird error where it tells me it's out of ammunition for no reason whatsoever. Any attempt to fix Bigshot by manually scripting is overridden by its built in archery support...


Settings-- Commands: fire target(xx) Ammo: back Ammo type: bolt
| Bigshot hunting
[bigshot]>stance offensive
You are now in an offensive stance.
>
[bigshot]>aim head
You're now aiming at the head of your target when using a ranged weapon, or while ambushing.
>
[bigshot]>get 1 my bolt
You remove a single heavy crossbow bolt from a bundle of heavy crossbow bolts.
>
[bigshot]>fire #58182940
You must have your other hand free to fire the heavy crossbow!
>
[bigshot]>get 1 my bolt
You already have that.
>
[bigshot]>fire #58182940
You must have your other hand free to fire the heavy crossbow!
>
[bigshot]>get 1 my bolt
You already have that.
>
[bigshot]>fire #58182940
You must have your other hand free to fire the heavy crossbow!
>
[bigshot]>get 1 my bolt
You already have that.
>
[bigshot]>fire #58182940
You must have your other hand free to fire the heavy crossbow!
>;stop big
--- Lich: bigshot has exited.


adding "load cross" before firing in the combat line

Settings-- Commands: load cross, fire target(xx) Ammo: back Ammo type: bolt

You are now in an offensive stance.
>
[bigshot]>load cross
You must load something into your heavy crossbow.
>
[bigshot]>aim head
You're now aiming at the head of your target when using a ranged weapon, or while ambushing.
>
[bigshot]>get 1 my bolt
You remove a single heavy crossbow bolt from a bundle of heavy crossbow bolts.
>
[bigshot]>fire #58193286
You must have your other hand free to fire the heavy crossbow!
>
[bigshot]>get 1 my bolt
You already have that.
>
[bigshot]>fire #58193286
You must have your other hand free to fire the heavy crossbow!
>
[bigshot]>get 1 my bolt
You already have that.
>
[bigshot]>fire #58193286
You must have your other hand free to fire the heavy crossbow!
>;stop
--- Lich: bigshot has exited.

It just can't seem to find the bolts from the bag...if anyone has settings for this ridiculous thing I would appreciate it, otherwise I'm killing the account as the only reason I made it was for a crossbow rogue.

[cwolff]

Ya, I see what you're saying. Probably an easy fix between your hunting script and the ammo/wand tab.

[Rakshakvana]

Someone has to know. But crossbow wielders are rare and it's going to be hard finding someone who has all the scripts. I remember Alisaire struggling with bows and hearing about it and thinking how horrible it was, and I have no idea right now how she wasn't literally rage quitting over it as she used bows and crossbows all the time. She ended up getting help from someone who was pretty heavily invested in it as I remember. I don't even know if she plays anymore.


And people are so defensive of how bad the crossbows are. I don't get how people can just get so used to a bad mechanic that they just accept it and project all of the game's good qualities onto a turd. Crossbows are a turd. They need to be fixed and they've needed to be fixed for a long time. The one thing Gemstone players need to learn is the the attitude at the player's corner is the attitude that is the positive one, not the ostrich with the head in the sand. That's why I always liked coming here, people were real about things.

I say here, crossbows suck, everyone is like "Yeah" and on the official forums I'm sure I'd get a bunch of nerds really mad at me. I cannot even believe this is still going on. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.

You get on the normal boards and they're all about adapting to the way the game design is, including all its shitty parts. That's not love that's just fear and conformity. If people really loved the game they would campaign to have it fixed. And as I remember that's exactly how the GM got mechanical crossbows implemented.

I'm sure I've missed 10 years of people defending crossbows and people pointing out how they are obviously a bad game design. Not everything in a MUD should need to be typed. I should be able to ATTACK RAT with a crossbow in my hand and a set of bolts in my quiver and have it just do some flavor text and give me something that will kill a L1 rat at level 3.

And I just read they're still PULLING people for scripting fletching. Jesus H Christ. Pull them for doing that in public without scripting! Nobody wants to see that! It's not a game at that point! You can AFK potion reps in WoW all day long and nobody cares because the whole challenge is getting all the ingredients, not sitting there watching screen scroll.

Okay. I'll stop ranting. But seriously, that this has gone on for that long is really really bad. Someone needs to just come out and own it. Replace all the crossbows with the automatic or bow style.

[cwolff]

Ya the benefits imo dont outweigh the negatives but they've got a place to be used. I used crossbows until I,could hit eyeballs with a bow.

Have you thought of just picking up a claid until level 20? That's pretty much the easiest, least frustrating way to get levelled up enough to be a good archer.