Kvetch — Sat, 02/16/2008 - 15:35
We've all played on other muds - well.. maybe not all of us, but most of us - and we've seen things we like and things we've disliked, I'm sure. I'd like to know what things - either from other muds or from your own devious minds - you'd like to see 4D incorporate. Or maybe changes you'd like to see.
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Kvetch — Sat, 02/16/2008 - 15:53
I thought I should start this topic out since I started it. One of the changes I'd like is a change to the remort system. I know this was highly discussed on the other website and I'm hoping that we can talk about it here without flamewars.
I'm not a big fan of being level 50 and then remorting to level 1 and losing most (if not all) of the skills/spells I used to know. It really doesn't make sense to me at all. Personally, what I'd like is to see options being created at level 50 which would add to the current class/race/whatever. Then increase the levels so instead of 50 levels you have.. what? 100? 200? (Shoot if we took all the times you remort.. that's 8 classes x 50 levels... 400 levels? *eek*) If we have choices every 50 levels or so, at the end each character would pretty much be unique.
For example (and please do not think this is even partly set in stone - it's more like water):
At level 1, you create a human (gringo for our example) warrior. Level them up to 50. When you would hit level 50, you would be given a choice to add a class (thief, priest, mage) or a subrace (Vampyre, Werewolf.... other humanoid hybrid) which would have their own benefits (blood-drain, shapeshift, something else). At level 100, depending on what you chose at 50, you'd have different choices. But all of this would add too your character and not take anything away.
I know, this would probably be a coding nightmare, but I'd enjoy that a lot better than what we currently have. Though, it's a lot easier to live with what we have as an IMM... *heh*
Kvetch
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Virisin — Sat, 02/16/2008 - 20:57
This sounds a lot like my idea for a new remort/tier/levels system:
I also hate the fact that we spend so much time levelling only to constantly knock ourselves back by remorting and losing everything we had. It seems pointless, all for the sake of GM, so we can suddenly become uber.
I would much prefer 200 levels system in which we could either specialise in a class, or multiclass. This could be done as a classless system, or with classes:
Classless = There is no remorting, and very limited practices, just lots of skills/spells, and all the higher level skills/spells have lots of pre-requisites, so you either learn lots of lower skills across a range of classes (multiclassing), or learn only a few lower skills that relate to one class so you still have practices to spend to specialise as you level up more.
With Classes = Choose a class, when you get to level 50 you can either remort to another class, and carry on from level 51, or remort into the same class and carry on from level 51. Either you collect a range of different class skills/spells, or specialise by getting all of one class done.
I visualise a system like this taking not quite as long as mastering all the classes, but still a long time. And it means each character is a lot more unique. Rather than everyone trying to get to GM like currently, and automatically having all the same skills/spells.
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Interactive mobs
Erwin — Sun, 02/17/2008 - 06:24
Well, I've an idea, but I'm not sure whether it can be easily implemented. This comes from playing adventure games, rather than muds.
A dialogue system with mobs, which gives options on how to respond, with a set of choices, removed when a player selects it to talk (added in again when talking to the mob again), and new options added after certain choices are selected.
Eg maybe 'talk to pirate'
You engage in conversation with a scruffy pirate.
[1]Can I borrow your pieces of eight?
[2]Arr, is that eyepatch for real?
[3]Do you do pirate performances for little kiddies?
[4]My name is Guybrush Threepwood and I'm a mighty pirate.
[5]Look, a three-headed monkey!
[6]You have the sex-appeal of a Shar Pei
[7]It's been nice meeting you.
'2'
Player: Arr, is that eyepatch for real?
Scruffy Pirate: Why yes, my eyepatch is an inheritance passed to me by my father, who was a famous pirate in the Southern Seas. Nowadays, no one really keeps up the tradition. Who goes around now dressed in a red coat, wielding a rusty cutlass, and having a pegleg for a foot? I'd have to admit, that was a painful decision, but it's all in the interests of culture and promoting piracy.
But as to whether my eye is still there beneath the eyepatch, why it still is. I use both my eyes to read "The Annals of Piracy, Volume XII at night".
You engage in conversation with a scruffy pirate.
[1]Can I borrow your pieces of eight?
[2]Do you do pirate performances for little kiddies?
[3]My name is Guybrush Threepwood and I'm a mighty pirate.
[4]Look, a three-headed monkey!
[5]You have the sex-appeal of a Shar Pei
[6]Can I borrow your book?
[7]It's been nice meeting you.
"6"
Player: Can I borrow your book?
Scruffy Pirate: No. It's on loan from the Pirates International Secret Society Of Fearless Felons, and it's already overdue. And please do so as well.
Scruffy pirate initiates end of conversation.
Conversation Ends.
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Kvetch — Sun, 02/17/2008 - 06:46
If I did that, you realize I would never create a quest that needed you to interact with that particular mob. While I do understand that sometimes you feel like you're playing a "guess the word game" with some of the mobs, it shouldn't be handed to you on a silver platter - which is what this is. In real life, you don't talk to someone and have them give you options on what they're willing to talk about - neither should it be that way in the game. I really wish we could do more with the mobs so they can be more like real people and you can talk to them about almost anything - but as a builder to put all the possible things you could talk about - and all the possible ways to say it - in without them just blabbing about whenever someone happens to say anything in the room - it's just a bet crazy.
Though I do try to give some mobs knowledge of their surrounding areas and you can ask them about things "to the north" or "in the cave" or things like that, things that you really wouldn't have any reason to ask other than you were "making conversation" with the mob.
I just don't want players to get all the information they need/want just because they choose the right number... eventually.
So, while I appreciate having the choices in games like Baulder's Gate, I think it would detract from the immense possibilities and imagination of the builders (and players) on 4D.
Kvetch
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Erwin — Sun, 02/17/2008 - 07:53
Nod, I realize that.
Just that the mobs now are a bit too predictable. I have an alias to say hello, hi, greetings, howdy, hail, may the force be with you, help, please, thanks, as well as the mob desc and room desc.
About 95% of mobs respond to that, and then it isn't too hard to start a quest. Completing the quest however, doesn't involve much interaction with the mob (apart from giving it the quest items required or doing something it asks.)
But to be honest, I wasn't really thinking of questmobs when I posted that, but more of ordinary mobs. Shopkeepers, the odd unique mob like head guard, etc.