Fate's Developer Journal - Revision history

Valdemor at 06:34, 20 November 2018

2018-11-20T06:34:40Z

←Older revision		Revision as of 06:34, 20 November 2018
Line 1:		Line 1:
-	Often when I'm playing Lost Souls (and sometimes when I'm not), I'll get hit by bouts of inspiration on projects I'm working on or features/mechanics I'd like to change or implement. Instead of leaving them to stew and eventually be forgotten, I've decided to write these down in a journal so that I will remember them later and hopefully actually work on them. The entries tend to devolve into rants or fantacising on my part.

-
-	The journal is in org-mode format, separated into headings for convenience. Please keep in mind that this is not so much a list of stuff I will actually do as a collection of my thoughts on the game from a developer's perspective. Maybe I will work on the entries some day; hopefully another developer will read some of them and be inspired in turn; and most likely they will sit here to be interesting exercises in wishful thinking and naught else.
-
-
-	== * sensory acuity traits <2014-01-21 Tue> :traits :new: ==
-	Add five traits for acuity in the five senses, to use in room
-	description detail / searching / quests, etc. Value should go from 0
-	(don't have that sense) to 10 (localized omnipotence), with five
-	being the average using humans as a reference. Traits should increase
-	in value with skills/attributes like CF/OF, 1 per 100 awareness and
-	perception.
-
-	== * mounts <2014-01-21 Tue> :mechanics :revamp :rant: ==
-	Overhall the mount system to make more sense and be less broken. With
-	low riding skill, directing a mount should be difficult and
-	imprecise. For example, complex go commands should be badly
-	interpreted, directions should mix up. Have mounts keep going in one
-	direction until you issue a stop a command; only implement current
-	system of stopping after go command is fully executed for really high
-	riding skill. Add the chance of mounts throwing you off during
-	movement and combat. Using a mount should train riding/equestrian
-	(props to Agun for this). Give mounts the ability to carry containers
-	(saddlebags, sacks, etc) and to pull stuff (carriages, ploughs, etc);
-	alternately create a separate module for this (mule). Using a mount
-	for too long in too short a time should tire it out and make it less
-	effective (temp negative mods to skills/attribs), dependant on how
-	well the rider understands the animal (animal lore, equestrian,
-	biology, etc) and the mount's own skills (stamina, running, possible
-	new skill specifically for carrying people). Since the game is
-	already a simulationist fantacy, why not set up a system of stable
-	outposts for exchanging tired mounts for fresh ones (I.E roman postal
-	system)? The mule system can be taken further too; have a network of
-	carivans between the major towns to ferry passengers on horse-drawn
-	carriages. These carivans could experience random raids from bandits
-	and the like; this could lead to a new slinger-like association for
-	fighting them off? On the other side of the coin, players could
-	attack and steel from trading caravans for plunder (melange shipments
-	from the desert, magical gems from Liathyr, etc). Maybe Shatterspire
-	could have like huge flying steam ships pulled by drakes and powered
-	by Hellhounds to move their troups! The possibilities that this
-	system would open up are pretty awesome. I can just imagine it now;
-	the whole island of R'lyeh tethered to Cthulhu's back as he flies
-	into combat against the collective forces of Aedaris, who wait on a
-	fragment of the Exoma that has been shifted into the Prime and
-	materially tethered to Puff.
-
-	== * flight <2014-01-21 Tue> :mechanics :revamp: ==
-	Our monolithic flight system is actually pretty nonsensical and
-	should be separated out into different functionality. This thought
-	came from another of Agun's complaints (about levitator not granting
-	a boost to flight). The game currently uses one skill to govern all
-	forms of flight. However different flight mechanisms require
-	profficiency in completely different fields. For example, magically
-	directed wingless flight doesn't require knowledge of wind drafts,
-	how to rise with thermals, how to take advantage of slipstreams,
-	etc. On the other hand, even though dragon flight is partially
-	magical, they will use skills involved in muscle manipulation that a
-	bezhuldaar has no need of. So, the flight skill should really be
-	turned into several different skills that affect different forms of
-	flight, or use a wider range of skills (I.E somatesthesia might
-	control how well a faerie can flap hir wings; or willpower might
-	affect a Bezhuldaar's ability to direct its levitory).
-
-	== * Arborlon descriptions <2014-01-21 Tue> :new :areas: ==
-	Previously I've been trying to make the room descriptions in the
-	Arborlon revamp really descriptive. Too descriptive, I've decided
-	after some thought and reading some articles on area
-	creation. Instead of trying to be really flowery, room descriptions
-	should have a single sentence for each sense. This should be enough
-	to be fairly descriptive, and make the rooms accessible to
-	blind/deaf/anosmic players. The room summaries should also have
-	different values for different senses, so that you can for example
-	explore while blind while still getting an idea of where you are from
-	your hearing. A system of sensory acuity traits could be used here to
-	determine how much information each sense would contribute. For
-	example, a player with low hearing acuity might be able to only get
-	the auditory room summery but not the auditory description elements;
-	or be able to see the latter but not see the auditory elements of the
-	individual element's description. The idea is to make Arborlon's
-	descriptions offer complex multi-sensory descriptions, rather than
-	just really flowery visual ones which nobody will appreciate while
-	slaughtering everything with brief depiction on anyway.
-
-	== * room generation simplification :new :utility: ==
-	Write a python script to make writing rooms less tedious. Currently
-	the bulk of room code is the really lengthy map feature function
-	names and the abstract item nested descriptor structure. Instead of
-	dealing with all that, the room generation script should ask for
-	abstract item identities, long descriptions, summaries, day/night,
-	and flags for the different senses, in a dialogue format. After
-	everything is entered, the script generates the room code with
-	correct descriptor nesting and indentation (because indenting
-	descriptors past the second level becomes a big hassle to deal
-	with). I should probably write this script before I get back to
-	Arborlon, to make it less dull and tedious to work on (the idea here
-	is to focus on the content when creating an area, rather than the
-	code itself).

Valdemor: fixed up headings

2014-01-22T03:40:36Z

fixed up headings

Valdemor at 03:38, 22 January 2014

2014-01-22T03:38:09Z

New page

Often when I'm playing Lost Souls (and sometimes when I'm not), I'll get hit by bouts of inspiration on projects I'm working on or features/mechanics I'd like to change or implement. Instead of leaving them to stew and eventually be forgotten, I've decided to write these down in a journal so that I will remember them later and hopefully actually work on them. The entries tend to devolve into rants or fantacising on my part.

The journal is in org-mode format, separated into headings for convenience. Please keep in mind that this is not so much a list of stuff I will actually do as a collection of my thoughts on the game from a developer's perspective. Maybe I will work on the entries some day; hopefully another developer will read some of them and be inspired in turn; and most likely they will sit here to be interesting exercises in wishful thinking and naught else.

== * sensory acuity traits <2014-01-21 Tue> :traits :new:
Add five traits for acuity in the five senses, to use in room
description detail / searching / quests, etc. Value should go from 0
(don't have that sense) to 10 (localized omnipotence), with five
being the average using humans as a reference. Traits should increase
in value with skills/attributes like CF/OF, 1 per 100 awareness and
perception.

== * mounts <2014-01-21 Tue> :mechanics :revamp :rant:
Overhall the mount system to make more sense and be less broken. With
low riding skill, directing a mount should be difficult and
imprecise. For example, complex go commands should be badly
interpreted, directions should mix up. Have mounts keep going in one
direction until you issue a stop a command; only implement current
system of stopping after go command is fully executed for really high
riding skill. Add the chance of mounts throwing you off during
movement and combat. Using a mount should train riding/equestrian
(props to Agun for this). Give mounts the ability to carry containers
(saddlebags, sacks, etc) and to pull stuff (carriages, ploughs, etc);
alternately create a separate module for this (mule). Using a mount
for too long in too short a time should tire it out and make it less
effective (temp negative mods to skills/attribs), dependant on how
well the rider understands the animal (animal lore, equestrian,
biology, etc) and the mount's own skills (stamina, running, possible
new skill specifically for carrying people). Since the game is
already a simulationist fantacy, why not set up a system of stable
outposts for exchanging tired mounts for fresh ones (I.E roman postal
system)? The mule system can be taken further too; have a network of
carivans between the major towns to ferry passengers on horse-drawn
carriages. These carivans could experience random raids from bandits
and the like; this could lead to a new slinger-like association for
fighting them off? On the other side of the coin, players could
attack and steel from trading caravans for plunder (melange shipments
from the desert, magical gems from Liathyr, etc). Maybe Shatterspire
could have like huge flying steam ships pulled by drakes and powered
by Hellhounds to move their troups! The possibilities that this
system would open up are pretty awesome. I can just imagine it now;
the whole island of R'lyeh tethered to Cthulhu's back as he flies
into combat against the collective forces of Aedaris, who wait on a
fragment of the Exoma that has been shifted into the Prime and
materially tethered to Puff.

== * flight <2014-01-21 Tue> :mechanics :revamp:
Our monolithic flight system is actually pretty nonsensical and
should be separated out into different functionality. This thought
came from another of Agun's complaints (about levitator not granting
a boost to flight). The game currently uses one skill to govern all
forms of flight. However different flight mechanisms require
profficiency in completely different fields. For example, magically
directed wingless flight doesn't require knowledge of wind drafts,
how to rise with thermals, how to take advantage of slipstreams,
etc. On the other hand, even though dragon flight is partially
magical, they will use skills involved in muscle manipulation that a
bezhuldaar has no need of. So, the flight skill should really be
turned into several different skills that affect different forms of
flight, or use a wider range of skills (I.E somatesthesia might
control how well a faerie can flap hir wings; or willpower might
affect a Bezhuldaar's ability to direct its levitory).

== * Arborlon descriptions <2014-01-21 Tue> :new :areas:
Previously I've been trying to make the room descriptions in the
Arborlon revamp really descriptive. Too descriptive, I've decided
after some thought and reading some articles on area
creation. Instead of trying to be really flowery, room descriptions
should have a single sentence for each sense. This should be enough
to be fairly descriptive, and make the rooms accessible to
blind/deaf/anosmic players. The room summaries should also have
different values for different senses, so that you can for example
explore while blind while still getting an idea of where you are from
your hearing. A system of sensory acuity traits could be used here to
determine how much information each sense would contribute. For
example, a player with low hearing acuity might be able to only get
the auditory room summery but not the auditory description elements;
or be able to see the latter but not see the auditory elements of the
individual element's description. The idea is to make Arborlon's
descriptions offer complex multi-sensory descriptions, rather than
just really flowery visual ones which nobody will appreciate while
slaughtering everything with brief depiction on anyway.

== * room generation simplification :new :utility:
Write a python script to make writing rooms less tedious. Currently
the bulk of room code is the really lengthy map feature function
names and the abstract item nested descriptor structure. Instead of
dealing with all that, the room generation script should ask for
abstract item identities, long descriptions, summaries, day/night,
and flags for the different senses, in a dialogue format. After
everything is entered, the script generates the room code with
correct descriptor nesting and indentation (because indenting
descriptors past the second level becomes a big hassle to deal
with). I should probably write this script before I get back to
Arborlon, to make it less dull and tedious to work on (the idea here
is to focus on the content when creating an area, rather than the
code itself).

←Older revision		Revision as of 03:40, 22 January 2014
Line 5:		Line 5:


-	== * sensory acuity traits <2014-01-21 Tue> :traits :new:	+	== * sensory acuity traits <2014-01-21 Tue> :traits :new: ==
	Add five traits for acuity in the five senses, to use in room		Add five traits for acuity in the five senses, to use in room
	description detail / searching / quests, etc. Value should go from 0		description detail / searching / quests, etc. Value should go from 0
Line 13:		Line 13:
	perception.		perception.

-	== * mounts <2014-01-21 Tue> :mechanics :revamp :rant:	+	== * mounts <2014-01-21 Tue> :mechanics :revamp :rant: ==
	Overhall the mount system to make more sense and be less broken. With		Overhall the mount system to make more sense and be less broken. With
	low riding skill, directing a mount should be difficult and		low riding skill, directing a mount should be difficult and
Line 47:		Line 47:
	materially tethered to Puff.		materially tethered to Puff.

-	== * flight <2014-01-21 Tue> :mechanics :revamp:	+	== * flight <2014-01-21 Tue> :mechanics :revamp: ==
	Our monolithic flight system is actually pretty nonsensical and		Our monolithic flight system is actually pretty nonsensical and
	should be separated out into different functionality. This thought		should be separated out into different functionality. This thought
Line 64:		Line 64:
	affect a Bezhuldaar's ability to direct its levitory).		affect a Bezhuldaar's ability to direct its levitory).

-	== * Arborlon descriptions <2014-01-21 Tue> :new :areas:	+	== * Arborlon descriptions <2014-01-21 Tue> :new :areas: ==
	Previously I've been trying to make the room descriptions in the		Previously I've been trying to make the room descriptions in the
	Arborlon revamp really descriptive. Too descriptive, I've decided		Arborlon revamp really descriptive. Too descriptive, I've decided
Line 84:		Line 84:
	slaughtering everything with brief depiction on anyway.		slaughtering everything with brief depiction on anyway.

-	== * room generation simplification :new :utility:	+	== * room generation simplification :new :utility: ==
	Write a python script to make writing rooms less tedious. Currently		Write a python script to make writing rooms less tedious. Currently
	the bulk of room code is the really lengthy map feature function		the bulk of room code is the really lengthy map feature function