RELEASED Avali Race Mod, The second thread!

hmm guess my next home will be underground

 

All mine are by default, given my penchant for mods that involve explosives and my rather troubling need to test them all!

 

Hey guys, know I'm new here, and this is my first post and everything, but I made this account just for downloading Ryu's super-cute race mod, and after playing it through, there's one crucial thing that seems like it would be fairly easy to implement, but appears to be missing:

Item identification specific to the Avali race.

A big part of Starbound for me is how immersive it is with each of the races; Each and every one seems to have something unique to say about every object in the game. While this would be a large amount of writing for Ryu to do, and I know it's probably low priority, it would be really cool to see the Avali having something creative to say about something other than their own specific items. I'm not a modder, though I did try to read through starbound and the Avali codes to see if there was some way to alter what just the avali said with no success. I've read through... pretty much the whole wiki on these guys, and I absolutely love them, and I'd love to help implement that lore into the game any way that I could.

Race mods like the Peglaci have such a unique viewpoint through the race's views on other cultures and the implemented lore, and I hate to see Avali left out of that. I'd be more than willing to write up descriptions for items and blocks in game through Avali eyes, but i'd have no idea how to put that into code. it's just a suggestion, but it seems like something that wouldn't be hard to implement. I could be completely wrong, or blowing smoke out my ass and just not noticed the Avali's unique dialogue, but I'd like to hope that I'm not.

Anyway, great mod Ryu! Hope to see more in the future.

 

Unique Avali dialog for items would require writing a new file for each and every existing object, each file consisting of a __merge command and the new description line. The Peglaci mod probably uses this method. The Felin mod also has Felin item descriptions in a separate download; that could help if you want to do something yourself, although Ryuujin probably has his own plans.

 

I am willing to donate my generator tool. Or maybe write a version with a nice UI, with a rough object preview so you can see what hoard/goldvase4 is supposed to be...

 

So I went slaying and this happend. No idea if it's been already reported.

 

Yeah. When I suggested to the devs they'd add that to villagers, I neglected to mention guards. So there's basically two points where <name> works: when a villager greets you (conversestate.lua:7-9), when a guard notices you killed another guard (main.lua05-308), and not when a guard hails you (guardstate.lua:116).

For those interested, here's some untested good stuff, goes in guardstate.lua:

Code:

      if not world.isMonster(stateData.targetId) and math.random(100) <= entity.configParameter("guard.hailPercent", 100) then
        local selfname = world.entityName(entity.id())
        sayToTarget("guard.dialog.hail", stateData.targetId, { name = selfname })
      end

That should allow guards to say their name when they hail you.

 

Yespls.

Also, if I remember right, there was mention on there now being a digigrade character sprite base thanks to Avali now, or did I hear wrong in that regard? :S

 

Lore question:

Could an isolated Avali circumvent the usual psychological problems (or attempt to) by adopting a community of other accepting sentient creatures as a pack-replacement?

Example, a Pony settlement? Or Hylotl settlement?

 

I remember Ryu confirming that.
...I don't think ponies are sentient, though.

 

Oh no you DI-int! Aw snap

 

I don't believe they are, no

 

Depends on what mods you are using

 

More practically, they're likely not within the same canon.

Outside of canon, you're welcome to imagine whatever you want.

 

I found a bug with spawnable avali footlocker. I found an avali grave and when I took data chit and placed footlocker in my house, the chit respawned. In total I have now 8 chits by breaking the same footlocker, and every spawned type of avali chest respawns items... Only chests from avali mod do that. is there any way to fix this? Really love this mod, but this bug makes it less challenging...

 

I found this too but I also found away to stop it... stop breaking and placing the footlocker
Works very well

 

I really like this mod, I've try building a tent and I think it went quite well.

However the block "Soft tapestry" seems to be a little bit.. oversized? (as you may see)

 

Nice! I generally use metal floors as a base because of some blocks being sized like that (i like them because it lets me play with corners and things instead of being perfect squares) but that tent came out pretty sweet!

 

Imagine the tapestry as a thick carpet that you can sink your feet into. I think that's pretty much what it is, given that it looks the same as the couch and pillow-bed.

 

Alright, everyone! I finally finished my next story. Took quite a bit longer than I'd expected. I've never written a story in this particular genre before, so I wanted to be sure it was a good, quality effort on my part. I'd like to specially thank Shard of Sorrow and Reksanden, both of whom went above and beyond the call of mere proofreading and also helped me figure out characterizations and motivations and achieve the tone I wanted for the story.I'm quite proud of the title, which plays off both the Nexus being the virtual network of the Avali as well as one of the definitions of the word "nexus" being a point of connection.

It mightn't have been easy, but I think the final product speaks for itself. I hope you all enjoy it.

Nexus

Kyara awoke silently to a subtle feeling of disquiet. As she opened her eyes, her neural augment traced thin glowing sigils across the low-hanging nanocanvas above, informing her of the unpleasantly early hour and the stormy weather conditions outside the comforting warmth of her pack’s tent. She listened for a moment, picking out the quiet sounds of wind and soft rain against fabric and the faint humming of computers. Then she realized she couldn’t hear Jairn breathing to her right. Kyara uncurled from about her cushion and glanced around the room. Sike and Rhai were still asleep, breathing softly. To her right was a crumpled pillow where Jairn should have been sleeping. She reached out to touch it – still warm.

Kyara stood and softly padded over to the commons room. There was Jairn, sitting with his eyes closed, cables trailing to small ports in his legs and left arm. Kyara’s neural augment silently drew the symbols to inform her that he was busy running a simulation in the Nexus. She crouched next to him and inspected the thin dark seams where high-tech nanopolymers met flesh. The doctors had done a truly remarkable job with the procedure, considering how bad the injuries had been. He still looked as handsome as ever. It actually gave him a bit of roguish charm, she thought, with a smile.

Just he now had nightmares. Her amusement faded. She settled down next to him and sent him a message through the Nexus asking to join him in the simulation. It wasn’t right. She could still remember the desperation as she searched for him in the rubble moments after that all-rending impact. Finding him, armor smoking, legs crushed, arm badly broken and burnt. The focused fury that’d gripped her after he’d been safely pulled off the front lines, his wounds too severe for her to treat. He’d saved her life by throwing her out of that building, but now, she guessed, it seemed he had to do it again and again every time he closed his eyes.


….


Jairn took careful aim at his distant target, a single jet-black slab in an otherwise endless, featureless blank white plain. He was sick of nightmares.

He could tell he was still shaken by how his sights swayed and drifted over his objective, by how hard it was for him to steady himself. Jairn stared at the sleek black obelisk highlighted in his scope by a vibrant red outline. He forced himself to ignore everything else. His universe was the rectangular void in his scope. Then it became a little point, an imaginary speck of dust right in the center of the flawlessly smooth surface. Jairn could feel himself steady, but already the sensation felt distant and unimportant.

For these few fractions of a second, the moment was his. He could feel his breathing become calm and his pulse slow as he concentrated every particle of his being on the obelisk and the tiny imaginary mote his mind had placed on its surface. Everything was still for a precious instant as he squeezed the trigger. Then Jairn felt his railgun recoil smoothly into his shoulder as he absorbed the shock with his ready and braced stance. He could hear the sizzling crack of the hypersonic flechette a moment later as thin wisps of vibrant plasma tore out of the barrel, like fabric suddenly drawn and rent by an invisible, unrelenting force. Two eternities passed, and the flawless surface of the obelisk exploded into a cloud of dust and sharp black shards.

Jairn’s neural augment left a marker floating in midair on the point of impact. Slightly to the left, but not by much. Everything rushed back like time had been holding its breath. Jairn lowered his rifle and placed it on the ground in front of him.

A new obelisk flickered into existence as if nothing had happened.

The others were worried about him. Especially Kyara. Jairn sometimes wondered if she had nightmares too, if she remembered those events the same way he did. But he couldn’t remember much of anything really: a horrible wrench in his gut as he spotted the tell-tale plume of an anti-armor discharge; cold, fell determination that Kyara would live even if it meant his life; action; pain; and then nothing. It wasn’t the memories, really, that woke him at night. It was a sudden irrational terror that she’d died and he’d lived and the last eight months had been the real dream.

Jairn wrapped his arms around himself. His mechanical one flexed quietly, audible only to his sharp Avali hearing. Even here in the Nexus, in this virtual avatar of himself, he couldn’t escape his dreams. He took a breath and exhaled it slowly. But none of that had really happened. Kyara was fine, his pack was fine. He’d be fine, given time. A low tone hummed in Jairn’s ears, jolting him out of his thoughts. His visual overlay told him that Kyara was asking to log into the simulation. He’d tried not to wake her. Unsuccessfully, it would appear. Though it would be nice to have her company.

He picked up his rifle again and acknowledged the prompt.


….


Jairn sat holding his rifle in a blank white plain, his own dark taupe and iridescent grey-blue feathers and a blank black slab in the distance the only features of note. Kyara walked forward and sat down next to him. She couldn’t think of any good jokes to break the silence; and was still considering what to say, if anything, when he spoke first. “Morning. Sorry if I woke you.”

“No, it’s fine. Just couldn’t hear your breathing anymore was all,” Kyara said. Jairn glanced at her and smiled a little. Another nightmare?” she asked.

Jairn’s grin faded. “Yeah.”

“Need to talk about it?”

“I… not really.”

“Alright.”

They both sat in silence for a minute. Kyara wasn’t sure what to say, wasn’t even sure if saying anything was the right course to take at all. Jairn was hard for her to read sometimes, and this was one of those times. Did he want company? Her company? Or would he rather be left alone?

“Did you want to make a couple of shots? Jairn asked. “I think I’ve got your rifle scanned in.”

So he was fine with her company. Kyara realized she was being anxious and let herself relax. “Sure.” Jairn manipulated some setting visible only to his own neural interface, and a featureless white pillar rose from the simulated ground beside her, with her rifle and several magazines of ammunition resting in indents in the side. Kyara took it out and loaded it.

“If I may ask, why did you scan in my rifle?”

Jairn’s ears twitched. “I’d… well, I’d been thinking about asking you to shoot with me sometime.”

A second obelisk had appeared alongside the first. Kyara grinned impulsively at Jairn’s discomfort and then looked at the dark slab through her scope. To her left, she could hear Jairn settling into his shooting stance as well. On a whim, she looked up from her sights again and watched him. It never got old seeing him shoot, how he’d so quickly turn completely focused and right back to normal. Just one moment… and there it was. He squeezed the trigger and Kyara watched for the impact. Right on target, as always. Jairn had always been an artist with his rifle.


….


Jairn looked up from his scope to see Kyara watching him intently. “What?”

“Nothing. It’s just fun watching you shoot.”

Jairn could feel his ears twitch again in self-conscious embarrassment. “It’s a process just like anything else,” he said, aware that Kyara already knew it word for word. “You…”

“You learn how the parts all work together and then just let it all run like a machine,” she finished, and grinned.

Jairn couldn’t help but smile back. “Alright, so I’ve said that before. It’s your shot.” Kyara drew her rifle up into a shooting stance and peered intently through the sight, the hint of a smile still on her face. Jairn could see her breathing steady, not controlling it like he did, but finding the pattern. The rhythm of her heartbeat. The proper moment to fire. Their styles had always differed in that way. He could see the tip of her rifle lazily drift as she breathed.

Jairn wished he could be more like her. To be willing to take life as it happened and adapt as opportunity allowed. To be confident of the extent of his abilities. To be decisive in a crucial moment. To always have a plan, a vision, a new perspective on problems. He had always admired how she could adapt to a challenging situation so easily. And he always would.

Then a flash of sound and a trail of plasma fragmented his thoughts as the second target similarly shattered downrange, leaving nothing standing but a tiny marker in their neural displays. A solid hit. Not dead on, but he still wouldn’t want to have been standing where the pulverized remains of the second tablet now lay scattered.

“Good shooting,” he said. Something in his voice must’ve given away that his thoughts had wandered elsewhere, because Kyara stopped inspecting her handiwork downrange and turned to look at him with a faint expression of worry on her face.

“Everything alright?” Kyara paused momentarily, and then continued, “I just want to be completely sure you’re okay, Jairn.” She halted then continued, “I mean, we all do, but…”

“Really, I’m fine.” Jairn forced his attention back to the present and smiled. “Mind wandered, was all.” Kyara said nothing as she met his gaze, clearly unconvinced.

“If you say so.”

“I say so.” Jairn raised his rifle and faced his target once more, gazing into the telescopic sight. It was easier than looking her in the eyes. He knew what he should say; what he had to say. But a deep part of him didn’t want to say it. Shooting was so very much simpler. He just had to focus on his target and withdraw from the world into the tiny point where he wanted his round to land. Ignore his trouble. Focus and aim. Control and fire. His railgun recoiled into his arm and the retort thundered at his ears. But then he was back in reality, facing a conversation that he’d rather not have, but would have to hold eventually.

“You know, Kyara, you really should stop worrying about me and go have some fun while we’re all on sick leave. Just because I’m supposed to stay out of chaotic environments and do physical therapy all day doesn’t mean the rest of you have to.”

Kyara’s expression of worry melted and she smiled back. “So what do you want us to do, go out and party while you sit here all miserable? Like that’s gonna happen.” She punched him on the arm lightly.

“No, I’m serious. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be alright after a while, that’s just how this sort of thing works. But you should get out there; have some fun with Rhai and Sike.” Jairn grinned through a curious ache in his heart that he’d known would accompany his words. “Maybe you’ll even find someone nice out there, huh? Get a chance to raise some healthy young kits and grow old happy.”

Kyara’s smile faded and dropped her gaze down to stare at her railgun. Jairn could feel his emotions battering away at his carefully-constructed barriers of willpower and cold reason. He hadn’t expected her to react this way. It was making an already hard task harder. Hesitantly, he reached out and touched her on the wing. “I just want you to have a chance to be happy, Kyara. You’ve got a lot more potential than you let show when you waste your time on an overgrown kit like me.” He smiled wryly.

Softly, Kyara whispered, “That’s not true, Jairn. Not any of it.”

“Isn’t it?”

Kyara paused for a moment as if thinking, then she continued. “No. I don’t want any of that. I don’t want to try to meet someone nice ‘out there.’ I don’t want to leave you.” Her voice was stubborn. Jairn could feel his thoughts spin to a halt. “Do you get it, silly? I like you.” He sat silently as his heart began to race, his rifle cradled in his lap. He realized he was clenching it hard, as if trying to draw stability from its familiar texture and shape.

Trying his hardest to keep his voice steady, he replied haltingly, “I hadn’t thought… I mean, I’d hoped. But you could do so much better than me, Kyara. I just want to see you happy,” he said.

Kyara wrapped a wing around him in a tight hug. “I’m happy here. And don’t you ever think otherwise.” She softly leaned her head against his own, and he could feel his ears twitch in surprise as his heart continued to pound. She held the contact for half a minute, and then pulled away again.

“I’ll let you think alone for a while, Jairn.” He couldn’t find any words to say, and her avatar disappeared in a flurry of color and geometry.

Jairn sat there alone for some time, unsure what to think. He hadn’t believed he could be so lucky. Hadn’t dared to hope. Then with a clearer heart, a calmer mind, and steadier hands, he once more lifted his rifle and took careful aim.
​

As always, if you have any critiques or suggestions, feel free to share! I always aim to be as accurate to lore as possible in my stories, so if you find anything I missed or got blatantly incorrect, go ahead and mention it so that I can fix it in later revisions!

Once more, thank you all for your time. I hope you found it well-spent.