$Id: README.txt,v 1.4.2.1 2004/08/24 05:31:05 jkono Exp $ g4lite.gdf version 1.1.1 August 23, 2004 Copyright 2004 by John Kono. All rights reserved. This is my first attempt to make GCA v2.2 work with GURPS 4e. It is based on the August 2004 edition of GURPS Lite by Steve Jackson Games, Inc. which is available in electronic form from their web site: http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/lite/gurpslite.pdf Also, the GURPS Fourth Edition FAQ may come in handy: http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/faq/4efaq.html ************ Installation ************ Once you've unzipped the archive (since you're reading this, I'll assume you know how to do that), copy g4lite.gdf and, optionally, g4talent.gdf to the same location as the rest of the GCA datafiles (this is usually "c:\Program Files\gca\datfiles" for GCA v2.2, or "c:\Program Files\gca" for GCA v2.1.x and earlier). Now follow the steps liste below under "Set-up". ****************************** Updating from an Older Version ****************************** - Follow the installation instructions above, replacing the older version if asked. - In order to minimize loading times, GCA creates a "fast load" file (.fst) with the same name as the corresponding data set file (.gds). Since this file now contains outdated information, the simplest way to fix it is to delete the fast load file before launching GCA. If none of this has made any sense, simply delete all of the .fst files in the data directory. GCA will rebuild them the next time they are needed. - Any characters created using the old version of the datafile will (probably) need to be updated. The Resync feature (see Known Issues below) is supposed to do this. (See the GCA documentation for more information about using the Resync command.) Still, it's usually safer to simply rebuild them from scratch. Sorry about that. ****** Set-up ****** - Launch GCA. - Open up the Preferences window (Files -> Preferences) and select the "Data Files" tab. - Using the "Remove" button, make sure that there are no other .gdf files loaded. - Select g4lite.gdf and click on the "Add" button. It should be the only data file listed in the "Selected Files" area. - Click on "OK" to load the file. - **IMPORTANT** Once the new data set finishes loading, be sure to create a new character, either by selecting the "File -> New" menu item or clicking on the "New" button on the tool bar. ****** F.A.Q. ****** Q: Can I use g4lite.gdf with GURPS Character Builder (GCB)? A: No. GCB uses a different file format for its data files and the formats are incompatible. Q: Will g4lite.gdf automatically convert my 3e character to 4e? A: No, the character will need to be rebuilt for 4e -- either from scratch, or by using the guidelines in GURPS Update (see www.sjgames.com/gurps for more details). Q: I'm looking for the advantage/disadvantage/skill, but I can't seem to find it. Why not? A: g4lite.gdf only contains information from the August 2004 edition of GURPS Lite. So, if you're looking for something that was mentioned on the SJG web site or during a Pyramid chat and not finding it, you're (probably) not crazy; it's just not in GURPS Lite. Q: Can I use g4lite.gdf with other 3e datafiles? A: No, probably not. There are enough changes between third and fourth edition GURPS character mechanics to render older datafiles incompatible. In general, only use 4e datafiles only with other 4e datafiles. Q: Why don't skills default to other skills? A: None of the skills in GURPS Lite default to other skills. Skills defaulting to skills is optional in Fourth Edition (in fact, it was optional in Third Edition, too) and, as such, none of the defaults are listed in Lite. ***** Notes ***** - [UPDATED] The GURPS Lite rules say: "[Voice] gives you +2 with any skill that depends on speaking or singing (with the GM's approval[...])." There are two possible ways to interpret this: that the effective skill is two greater than the listed value for the skill; or that the value of the skill is increased by two. Though the former is the official interpretation, I have chosen to implement the latter since that's the route taken by the existing datafiles for 3e books. The Voice advantage now gives +2 to the following skills: Acting, Diplomacy, Fast-Talk, Public Speaking, Savoir-Faire, Sex Appeal. If you disagree with any or all of these, simply open up the file in your text editor of choice, look for the group following the line [GROUPS], and add an asterisk (*) to the beginning of any line containing a skill you don't wish included. - [UPDATED] GCA allows skills to be bought in half-point increments. This is not legal in Fourth Edition. Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent this in the program at this time. - The g4lite.gdf file should *not* be combined with any other .gdf files for 3e books. In general, 3e files should only be used with other 3e files, and likewise for 4e files. - There is a new work-around for weapon-specific modifiers to Parry. At this time, it only works for Knife and Staff (the only two such weapons listed in GURPS Lite). It is implemented as a "Mod" for the skill, similar to the Mods for the Language advantage: 1) Buy the skill to the desired level. 2) Select the skill and open the Edit window. 3) Open the Mods window by clicking on the button at the bottom of the screen. 4) Select the "Parry w/ " mod and click the "OK" button, and again in the Edit window. 5) In the Miscellaneous Items window (View -> Misc), select the appropriate weapon skill for Parry. Unfortunately, modifying the Parry "stat" in this way is global, so only one skill should have this modifier active at any time. Remember to remove the mod from the skill if you choose another weapon to parry with! - There are two new Stats: Influence Modifier and Reaction Modifier. Each stat is basically just an aggregation of all the modifiers provided by the ads and disads, without regard to situational factors (e.g. recognition for Reputation, cultural limits for Status, etc.), so use them wisely. - Even though Status greater than zero gives a positive reaction modifier, the rules don't say that Status of less than zero gives a corresponding negative modifier. In keeping with my "if it's not in GURPS Lite, it's not in g4lite.gdf" policy, negative status doesn't modify Reaction. - It's not perfect. Though functional, many Fourth Edition changes and enhancements simply won't work correctly until GCA v3.0 is released, so be sure to register your copy and thus give Armin moral encouragement to sustain him in his labors. ************ Known Issues ************ - I still don't have a (really) good method for implementing weapon-specific modifiers (e.g. -1 for Knife, +2 for Staff) to Parry but, thanks to a suggestion by Eric B. Smith over on the GCA mailing list, I do have a partial work-around. Currently, only available for Knife and Staff skills. See the NOTES item, above. - Since existing characters don't get updated when new data file sets are loaded, a new character *must* be created. Otherwise, the attributes (contained in the [STATS] section) won't work correctly. The Resync command is supposed to take care of it, but I've had *really* bad luck with it. Character-trashing bad luck. YMMV. - If no skill is chosen for use in calculating Parry or Shield defense, the value "3" will appear in that space on the printed character sheet. This is caused by the work-around for the new "half-skill-plus-three" formula used to calculate these in 4e. - Built-in character sheet output is *ugly* for the skills. I haven't had a chance to play around with GCA Character Printer 2 yet, so I don't know how well that works. I'm told there is a formatting file for GCP 1 that will do the trick, but I don't have a link to it at the moment. - Basic Lift (BL) for low ST (7 or less) doesn't work quite right. If BL is less than 10, it's not supposed to get rounded. - Damage values for low ST (below 8) are not correct for GURPS 4e. - Language Talent does not apply automatic adjustments for known languages, but the adjustment can be included in the Language advantage by selecting the effective comprehension level in the Mods window, and then selecting the appropriate "w/ Language Talent" item to bring the cost back in line. Hopefully, this will be automated in the future. - Languages are still a little clunky. Look for them under Advantages and Disadvantages (for Native Language). - Appearance and Wealth are broken out individually because that's the "traditional" way to do it in GCA. - Skill, for the most part, are all grouped under because they're not differentiated by type in GURPS Lite. ********** Change Log ********** 1.1.1 20040819 - Added Powered and Unpowered types to Vehicle skills. - Minor changes to some of the notes. - Restructured the ReadMe (this) file. - Updated contact information. 1.1 20040721 - Changed the way the Voice and Charisma ads are handled. They no longer give modifiers to the Influence skills, but rather add to the Influence Modifier stat. - Added the Influence Modifier and Reaction Modifier stats. Any advantage or disadvantage which gives a bonus or penalty to reaction or influence rolls now adjusts one or both of these stats. - Added the GR:Voice group of skills. These are skills modified by the Voice advantage. The rules say "with GM approval," so this may change. - Fixed the Reputation dis/advantage to enforce the -4/+4 limits. - Rearranged the [STATS] to include stats specifically mentioned in Lite, and to make sure modifiers will cascade correctly to derived stats. - Fixed a bug that was causing GCA to ignore some of the gives() directives. 1.0.2 20040715 - Added a work-around for weapon-specific modifiers to Parry. Not perfect, but it works. - Changed "Basic Load" to "Basic Lift" in this file and corrected some other spelling/style errors. 1.0.1 20040713 - Fixed a typo in the Language advantage that was preventing the mods from getting called. - Added the "Spoken w/ Language Talent" and "Written w/ Language Talent" mods, allowing for manual adjustment of Language cost while reflecting the effective functional level. A kludgy way to do it, but it put the right thing on paper. - Updated README file to include some additional issues. 1.0 20040712 - Original release. ***** Kudos ***** Thanks to Eric B. Smith for the skills work-around, and to Armin Sykes for writing GCA. Be sure to send in your US$17 shareware fee. Maybe it'll encourage him to work on v3! :) ************ Contact Info ************ Feel free to contact me with any bug reports (for the .gdf file, not for GCA itself) or if you have any comments or suggestions. Please include "[bug]" in the subject if you are reporting a bug. Thanks! John Kono g4litemuswtechcom