4. In-game Objects and items¶
In the previous lesson we established what a ‘Character’ is in our game. Before we continue we also need to have a notion what an ‘item’ or ‘object’ is.
Looking at Knave’s item lists, we can get some ideas of what we need to track:
size- this is how many ‘slots’ the item uses in the character’s inventory.value- a base value if we want to sell or buy the item.inventory_use_slot- some items can be worn or wielded. For example, a helmet needs to be worn on the head and a shield in the shield hand. Some items can’t be used this way at all, but only belong in the backpack.obj_type- Which ‘type’ of item this is.
4.1. New Enums¶
We added a few enumberations for Abilities back in the Utilities tutorial. Before we continue, let’s expand with enums for use-slots and object types.
# mygame/evadventure/enums.py
# ...
class WieldLocation(Enum):
BACKPACK = "backpack"
WEAPON_HAND = "weapon_hand"
SHIELD_HAND = "shield_hand"
TWO_HANDS = "two_handed_weapons"
BODY = "body" # armor
HEAD = "head" # helmets
class ObjType(Enum):
WEAPON = "weapon"
ARMOR = "armor"
SHIELD = "shield"
HELMET = "helmet"
CONSUMABLE = "consumable"
GEAR = "gear"
MAGIC = "magic"
QUEST = "quest"
TREASURE = "treasure"
Once we have these enums, we will use them for referencing things.
4.2. The base object¶
Create a new module
mygame/evadventure/objects.py
We will make a base EvAdventureObject class off Evennia’s standard DefaultObject. We will then add child classes to represent the relevant types:
# mygame/evadventure/objects.py
from evennia import AttributeProperty, DefaultObject
from evennia.utils.utils import make_iter
from .utils import get_obj_stats
from .enums import WieldLocation, ObjType
class EvAdventureObject(DefaultObject):
"""
Base for all evadventure objects.
"""
inventory_use_slot = WieldLocation.BACKPACK
size = AttributeProperty(1, autocreate=False)
value = AttributeProperty(0, autocreate=False)
# this can be either a single type or a list of types (for objects able to be
# act as multiple). This is used to tag this object during creation.
obj_type = ObjType.GEAR
# default evennia hooks
def at_object_creation(self):
"""Called when this object is first created. We convert the .obj_type
property to a database tag."""
for obj_type in make_iter(self.obj_type):
self.tags.add(self.obj_type.value, category="obj_type")
def get_display_header(self, looker, **kwargs):
"""The top of the description"""
return ""
def get_display_desc(self, looker, **kwargs)
"""The main display - show object stats"""
return get_obj_stats(self, owner=looker)
# custom evadventure methods
def has_obj_type(self, objtype):
"""Check if object is of a certain type"""
return objtype.value in make_iter(self.obj_type)
def at_pre_use(self, *args, **kwargs):
"""Called before use. If returning False, can't be used"""
return True
def use(self, *args, **kwargs):
"""Use this object, whatever that means"""
pass
def post_use(self, *args, **kwargs):
"""Always called after use."""
pass
def get_help(self):
"""Get any help text for this item"""
return "No help for this item"
4.2.1. Using Attributes or not¶
In theory, size and value does not change and could also be just set as a regular Python
property on the class:
class EvAdventureObject(DefaultObject):
inventory_use_slot = WieldLocation.BACKPACK
size = 1
value = 0
The problem with this is that if we want to make a new object of size 3 and value 20, we have to make a new class for it. We can’t change it on the fly because the change would only be in memory and be lost on next server reload.
Because we use AttributeProperties, we can set size and value to whatever we like when we create the object (or later), and the Attributes will remember our changes to that object indefinitely.
To make this a little more efficient, we use autocreate=False. Normally when you create a new object with defined AttributeProperties, a matching Attribute is immediately created at the same time. So normally, the object would be created along with two Attributes size and value. With autocreate=False, no Attribute will be created unless the default is changed. That is, as long as your object has size=1 no database Attribute will be created at all. This saves time and resources when creating large number of objects.
The drawback is that since no Attribute is created you can’t refer to it with obj.db.size or obj.attributes.get("size") unless you change its default. You also can’t query the database for all objects with size=1, since most objects would not yet have an in-database
size Attribute to search for.
In our case, we’ll only refer to these properties as obj.size etc, and have no need to find
all objects of a particular size. So we should be safe.
4.3. Other object types¶
Some of the other object types are very simple so far.
# mygame/evadventure/objects.py
from evennia import AttributeProperty, DefaultObject
from .enums import ObjType
class EvAdventureObject(DefaultObject):
# ...
class EvAdventureQuestObject(EvAdventureObject):
"""Quest objects should usually not be possible to sell or trade."""
obj_type = ObjType.QUEST
class EvAdventureTreasure(EvAdventureObject):
"""Treasure is usually just for selling for coin"""
obj_type = ObjType.TREASURE
value = AttributeProperty(100, autocreate=False)
4.4. Consumables¶
A ‘consumable’ is an item that has a certain number of ‘uses’. Once fully consumed, it can’t be used anymore. An example would be a health potion.
# mygame/evadventure/objects.py
# ...
class EvAdventureConsumable(EvAdventureObject):
"""An item that can be used up"""
obj_type = ObjType.CONSUMABLE
value = AttributeProperty(0.25, autocreate=False)
uses = AttributeProperty(1, autocreate=False)
def at_pre_use(self, user, target=None, *args, **kwargs):
"""Called before using. If returning False, abort use."""
if target and user.location != target.location:
user.msg("You are not close enough to the target!")
return False
if self.uses <= 0:
user.msg(f"|w{self.key} is used up.|n")
return False
def use(self, user, *args, **kwargs):
"""Called when using the item"""
pass
def at_post_use(self. user, *args, **kwargs):
"""Called after using the item"""
# detract a usage, deleting the item if used up.
self.uses -= 1
if self.uses <= 0:
user.msg(f"{self.key} was used up.")
self.delete()
In at_pre_use we check if we have specified a target (heal someone else or throw a fire bomb at an enemy?), making sure we are in the same location. We also make sure we have usages left. In at_post_use we make sure to tick off usages.
What exactly each consumable does will vary - we will need to implement children of this class later, overriding at_use with different effects.
4.5. Weapons¶
All weapons need properties that describe how efficient they are in battle. To ‘use’ a weapon means to attack with it, so we can let the weapon itself handle all logic around performing an attack. Having the attack code on the weapon also means that if we in the future wanted a weapon doing something special on-attack (for example, a vampiric sword that heals the attacker when hurting the enemy), we could easily add that on the weapon subclass in question without modifying other code.
# mygame/evadventure/objects.py
from .enums import WieldLocation, ObjType, Ability
# ...
class EvAdventureWeapon(EvAdventureObject):
"""Base class for all weapons"""
obj_type = ObjType.WEAPON
inventory_use_slot = AttributeProperty(WieldLocation.WEAPON_HAND, autocreate=False)
quality = AttributeProperty(3, autocreate=False)
attack_type = AttributeProperty(Ability.STR, autocreate=False)
defend_type = AttributeProperty(Ability.ARMOR, autocreate=False)
damage_roll = AttributeProperty("1d6", autocreate=False)
def at_pre_use(self, user, target=None, *args, **kwargs):
if target and user.location != target.location:
# we assume weapons can only be used in the same location
user.msg("You are not close enough to the target!")
return False
if self.quality is not None and self.quality <= 0:
user.msg(f"{self.get_display_name(user)} is broken and can't be used!")
return False
return super().at_pre_use(user, target=target, *args, **kwargs)
def use(self, attacker, target, *args, advantage=False, disadvantage=False, **kwargs):
"""When a weapon is used, it attacks an opponent"""
location = attacker.location
is_hit, quality, txt = rules.dice.opposed_saving_throw(
attacker,
target,
attack_type=self.attack_type,
defense_type=self.defense_type,
advantage=advantage,
disadvantage=disadvantage,
)
location.msg_contents(
f"$You() $conj(attack) $You({target.key}) with {self.key}: {txt}",
from_obj=attacker,
mapping={target.key: target},
)
if is_hit:
# enemy hit, calculate damage
dmg = rules.dice.roll(self.damage_roll)
if quality is Ability.CRITICAL_SUCCESS:
# doble damage roll for critical success
dmg += rules.dice.roll(self.damage_roll)
message = (
f" $You() |ycritically|n $conj(hit) $You({target.key}) for |r{dmg}|n damage!"
)
else:
message = f" $You() $conj(hit) $You({target.key}) for |r{dmg}|n damage!"
location.msg_contents(message, from_obj=attacker, mapping={target.key: target})
# call hook
target.at_damage(dmg, attacker=attacker)
else:
# a miss
message = f" $You() $conj(miss) $You({target.key})."
if quality is Ability.CRITICAL_FAILURE:
message += ".. it's a |rcritical miss!|n, damaging the weapon."
if self.quality is not None:
self.quality -= 1
location.msg_contents(message, from_obj=attacker, mapping={target.key: target})
def at_post_use(self, user, *args, **kwargs):
if self.quality is not None and self.quality <= 0:
user.msg(f"|r{self.get_display_name(user)} breaks and can no longer be used!")
In EvAdventure, we will assume all weapons (including bows etc) are used in the same location as the target. Weapons also have a quality attribute that gets worn down if the user rolls a critical failure. Once quality is down to 0, the weapon is broken and needs to be repaired.
The quality is something we need to track in Knave. When getting critical failures on attacks, a weapon’s quality will go down. When it reaches 0, it will break. We assume that a quality of None means that quality doesn’t apply (that is, the item is unbreakable), so we must consider that when checking.
The attack/defend type tracks how we resolve attacks with the weapon, like roll + STR vs ARMOR + 10.
In the use method we make use of the rules module we created earlier to perform all the dice rolls needed to resolve the attack.
This code requires some additional explanation:
location.msg_contents(
f"$You() $conj(attack) $you({target.key}) with {self.key}: {txt}",
from_obj=attacker,
mapping={target.key: target},
)
location.msg_contents sends a message to everyone in location. Since people will usually notice if you swing a sword at somone, this makes sense to tell people about. This message should however look different depending on who sees it.
I should see:
You attack Grendel with sword: <dice roll results>
Others should see
Beowulf attacks Grendel with sword: <dice roll results>
And Grendel should see
Beowulf attacks you with sword: <dice roll results>
We provide the following string to msg_contents:
f"$You() $conj(attack) $You({target.key}) with {self.key}: {txt}"
The {...} are normal f-string formatting markers like those we have used before. The $func(...) bits are Evennnia FuncParser function calls. FuncParser calls are executed as functions and the result replaces their position in the string. As this string is parsed by Evennia, this is what happens:
First the f-string markers are replaced, so that we get this:
"$You() $cobj(attack) $you(Grendel) with sword: \n rolled 8 on d20 ..."
Next the funcparser functions are run:
$You()becomes the name orYoudepending on if the string is to be sent to that object or not. It uses thefrom_obj=kwarg to themsg_contentsmethod to know this. Sincemsg_contents=attacker, this becomesYouorBeowulfin this example.$you(Grendel)looks for themapping=kwarg tomsg_contentsto determine who should be addressed here. If will replace this with the display name or the lowercaseyou. We have addedmapping={target.key: target}- that is{"Grendel": <grendel_obj>}. So this will becomeyouorGrendeldepending on who sees the string.$conj(attack)conjugates the verb depending on who sees it. The result will beYou attack ...orBeowulf attacks(note the extras).
A few funcparser calls compacts all these points of view into one string!
4.6. Magic¶
In Knave, anyone can use magic if they are wielding a rune stone (our name for spell books) in both hands. You can only use a rune stone once per rest. So a rune stone is an example of a ‘magical weapon’ that is also a ‘consumable’ of sorts.
# mygame/evadventure/objects.py
# ...
class EvAdventureConsumable(EvAdventureObject):
# ...
class EvAdventureWeapon(EvAdventureObject):
# ...
class EvAdventureRuneStone(EvAdventureWeapon, EvAdventureConsumable):
"""Base for all magical rune stones"""
obj_type = (ObjType.WEAPON, ObjType.MAGIC)
inventory_use_slot = WieldLocation.TWO_HANDS # always two hands for magic
quality = AttributeProperty(3, autocreate=False)
attack_type = AttributeProperty(Ability.INT, autocreate=False)
defend_type = AttributeProperty(Ability.DEX, autocreate=False)
damage_roll = AttributeProperty("1d8", autocreate=False)
def at_post_use(self, user, *args, **kwargs):
"""Called after usage/spell was cast"""
self.uses -= 1
# we don't delete the rune stone here, but
# it must be reset on next rest.
def refresh(self):
"""Refresh the rune stone (normally after rest)"""
self.uses = 1
We make the rune stone a mix of weapon and consumable. Note that we don’t have to add .uses again, it’s inherited from EvAdventureConsumable parent. The at_pre_use and use methods are also inherited; we only override at_post_use since we don’t want the runestone to be deleted when it runs out of uses.
We add a little convenience method refresh - we should call this when the character rests, to make the runestone active again.
Exactly what rune stones do will be implemented in the at_use methods of subclasses to this base class. Since magic in Knave tends to be pretty custom, it makes sense that it will lead to a lot of custom code.
4.7. Armor¶
Armor, shields and helmets increase the ARMOR stat of the character. In Knave, what is stored is the defense value of the armor (values 11-20). We will instead store the ‘armor bonus’ (1-10). As we know, defending is always bonus + 10, so the result will be the same - this means we can use Ability.ARMOR as any other defensive ability without worrying about a special case.
``
# mygame/evadventure/objects.py
# ...
class EvAdventureAmor(EvAdventureObject):
obj_type = ObjType.ARMOR
inventory_use_slot = WieldLocation.BODY
armor = AttributeProperty(1, autocreate=False)
quality = AttributeProperty(3, autocreate=False)
class EvAdventureShield(EvAdventureArmor):
obj_type = ObjType.SHIELD
inventory_use_slot = WieldLocation.SHIELD_HAND
class EvAdventureHelmet(EvAdventureArmor):
obj_type = ObjType.HELMET
inventory_use_slot = WieldLocation.HEAD
4.8. Your Bare hands¶
When we don’t have any weapons, we’ll be using our bare fists to fight.
We will use this in the upcoming Equipment tutorial lesson to represent when you have ‘nothing’ in your hands. This way we don’t need to add any special case for this.
# mygame/evadventure/objects.py
from evennia import search_object, create_object
_BARE_HANDS = None
# ...
class WeaponBareHands(EvAdventureWeapon)
obj_type = ObjType.WEAPON
inventory_use_slot = WieldLocation.WEAPON_HAND
attack_type = Ability.STR
defense_type = Ability.ARMOR
damage_roll = "1d4"
quality = None # let's assume fists are indestructible ...
def get_bare_hands():
"""Get the bare hands"""
global _BARE_HANDS
if not _BARE_HANDS:
_BARE_HANDS = search_object("Bare hands", typeclass=WeaponBareHands).first()
if not _BARE_HANDS:
_BARE_HANDS = create_object(WeaponBareHands, key="Bare hands")
return _BARE_HANDS
Since everyone’s empty hands are the same (in our game), we create one Bare hands weapon object that everyone shares. We do this by searching for the object with search_object (the .first() means we grab the first one even if we should by accident have created multiple hands, see The Django querying tutorial for more info). If we find none, we create it.
By use of the global Python keyword, we cache the bare hands object get/create in a module level property _BARE_HANDS. So this acts as a cache to not have to search the database more than necessary.
From now on, other modules can just import and run this function to get the bare hands.
4.9. Testing and Extra credits¶
Remember the get_obj_stats function from the Utility Tutorial earlier? We had to use dummy-values since we didn’t yet know how we would store properties on Objects in the game.
Well, we just figured out all we need! You can go back and update get_obj_stats to properly read the data from the object it receives.
When you change this function you must also update the related unit test - so your existing test becomes a nice way to test your new Objects as well! Add more tests showing the output of feeding different object-types to get_obj_stats.
Try it out yourself. If you need help, a finished utility example is found in evennia/contrib/tutorials/evadventure/utils.py.