Thoughts and actions

[Tynian]

Here is what I'm working on, thinking about working on, or just plain thinking about:

I think I'm pretty much done with Mish auction. About the only thing I'm actively considering is giving her the ability to generate and sell randoms.

I'm done with stats changes for now. The exception is damage. I'm likely to change floating damage so that it only kicks in if you are fighting someone with a lot more damage than you have, instead of globally, as it works now.

I would like to eliminate or simplify damage caps. The cap code is needlessly complicated. My concern with eliminating the cap is game balance. Floating damage may compensate for the lack of a cap, but that would require tons of testing, especially in regards to mobs. So, this is more in the "thinking about" stage.

I am working on a web-based area editor. Lots of work still left to do. Several things are motivating the effort. First, people run into problems running MUDitor, a situation which I anticipate will get worse over time, since MUDitor is a DOS application. A web-based area editor would just require a web browser. The question is whether I will be able to implement an intuitive and useful interface. Well, okay, the other question is my ability to stay focused until it is complete. ::pleased::

Part of my effort on an area editor stems from a desire to expand on what is possible through area building. Ultimately, it would be pretty cool to let characters build their own city/fortress/keep/castle/dungeon/shrine, if they have the gold available to build it, hire guards to defend it, maintain it, etc. Perhaps allow people to move there, collect taxes, or simply build it as a challenge to others to just try to invade your realm. But this is more of a distant dream. Right now, I'm just working on the ability to build areas using a web browser.

I'd also like to revamp quest mobs, and provide the ability for area writers to utilize them.

It's also time to determine what's left to do with bards, so I can release the class. The class itself is apparently too difficult, and awfully weak, in comparison to other triple classers. At the same time, my goal was for bard to be somewhat less effectively solo, but great as part of a group. Whether that is a viable goal remains to be seen, especially since less people online means fewer opportunities to group.

[Anonymous Mammal]

I wouldn't say that bards are awfully weak comparitively. I would say that they do take some thinking about when choosing which skills to permanently learn, which can make them very powerful. It takes a lot of work to play a bard and perhaps the benefits of grouping with a bard are not as good as they should be.

[Tynian]

You may be right; at this point, I'm just echoing what I've heard pretty consistantly from bards. Testing will be required. I do know they seem to hit a wall in the mid-levels. I also agree with your point on learn. The choices there can make or break the character. Natilena was working on the ability to unlearn, which I will also take a look at.

[Anonymous Mammal]

I'm not sure if an unlearn ability would make sense. Once you learn something, it's hard to forget it. Perhaps allow them to learn a few skills/spells that aren't from the mage class to bolster their jack-of-all-trades trait.

Another option would be to allow bards to "study" a skill/spell before they learn it. In a sense it would be a temporarily learned skill, which they can then "learn" it if they wish to keep it.

[boromir]

Greetings,

Bard: :D
I like the idea of a bard being able to learn a spell beyond just one casting or reading off of a score and instead of 1, get 3 or 4 castings. An addition to that idea would be the bard getting a higher casting level for the next score learned with that skill. i.e. the first score skill memorized is level 5, the next score of that skill is level 8 and the level 5 score skill is added to the level 8 learned skill so the bard casts at level 11 or 12. This would be capped at level 30 so a bard learning a skill at level 23 after having learned it at level 19 would max at 30 .. not 41. This would only apply to spells and skills NOT learned permanently. In so far as unlearning a skilled learned 'permanantly, I would allow it if the skill is of low enough level. For exapmle, improved invis leared to level 24 would be permanent while improved invis learned at level 15 could be 'unlearned'.

Character Areas: Speaking to the characters creating their own 'provinces or cities or villages"etc, a couple of suggestions::>

1) allow FLI's (Following Level Immortal's) to code their own 'town" that is accessed from their temple. This 'town' would not be put in place until 1 year after the immortal ascended to FLI. this would give the immortal time to gather him/herself and create 'whom' they are. That would be reflected in the 'town' they create. They can also limit who can or cant get in to their "town" including by alignment (or lack of), name, class, race and/or all of the above. In any case, a mortal or group of mortals should be able to survive an FLI's area mostly intact.

2) MLI's (Management Level Immortals's) would also be able to create their own 'town's as well. Their criteria would be the same aside from the need to have access to their "town" from the temple area. One difference from the FLI's area is that a mortal or group of mortals have a even chance of not being able to survive an MLI's the area no matter how large the group is.

In either case, 'mage' mobs would NOT be allowed since those mobs unrestricted would render the area unusable and probably rarely if ever entered.

The "town"s created by any immortal would have a few restrictions on how they operate:
You lose your corpse and its not your FLI - hope someone can get you back in to that area. If its an MLI area, they have the choice of letting you back in or not. For either type, even to the point of charging a fee .. whether gold or eq etc altho it must be tangible in nature i.e. loss of mana or hp is NOT allowed. Note: you recall from those area's - you end up in recall or not .. a bad recall can have you end up in those areas as well.
Any eq lost in the either area stays there until you get back in to get it - like the commercial says ..what happens there stays there ::whistle::. Any eq gained in those area's remains there since these areas are 'custom' and may not completely adhere to the standard area rules.

In so far as any one else (non-immortal) creating their own "town" area, I would be aganist that even with the same eq restrictoins as the immortal areas. If a mortal wishes to create an area, let them submit their idea of the Area coordinators for their consideration and approval. Why? the average mortal has not really written an area before .. note the use of the word 'average'. There can be exceptions made, as there are now but as a rule, for mortals => no. ::down::

I await your considered response! ::up::

[Razzaq]

mli towns blah blah


Brilliant, I love it::up::

[Tynian]

I'm not sure if an unlearn ability would make sense. Once you learn something, it's hard to forget it.

I agree with you in principle. Given how essential learned abilities are to bards, this is one of those instances where I'm more likely to come down on the side of playability vs logic. Perhaps unlearn would be a magical thing, since anything can be done with a little magic. ;)

Your 'study' idea is interesting.


Perhaps allow them to learn a few skills/spells that aren't from the mage class to bolster their jack-of-all-trades trait.


I'm not comfortable with this. They have the ability to memorize almost any spell. Learn warrants some restriction.

[Tynian]

the next score of that skill is level 8 and the level 5 score skill is added to the level 8 learned skill so the bard casts at level 11 or 12.

I'm not crazy about the notion of combining levels for abilities that have already been memorized.


For exapmle, improved invis leared to level 24 would be permanent while improved invis learned at level 15 could be 'unlearned'.

Hmm, I don't know.

The penalty Natilena had in mind was that the bard could unlearn an ability, at the cost of having to start it over from scratch. On the surface, that seems like a reasonable penalty. Is that sufficient?


1) allow FLI's (Following Level Immortal's) to code their own 'town" that is accessed from their temple.

I'm not crazy about FLIs having the ability to create "follower" areas, when, by and large, they have not stepped up to build general areas for the good of the game (Molo & Cordir being the notable active exceptions). On that note, what are the main differences between what your propose, and submitting an area, as you are able to now? I would boil it down to having the area directly connect to temple plus follower perks. Would that be a fair summary?


In either case, 'mage' mobs would NOT be allowed since those mobs unrestricted would render the area unusable and probably rarely if ever entered.

I don't understand your point about 'mage' mobs.


the average mortal has not really written an area before

Yeah, as opposed to the average Immortal, with their rich and varied area writing experiences? ::pleased::

[JonnyBravo]

Few comments here:


Ultimately, it would be pretty cool to let characters build their own city/fortress/keep/castle/dungeon/shrine, if they have the gold available to build it, hire guards to defend it, maintain it, etc. Perhaps allow people to move there, collect taxes, or simply build it as a challenge to others to just try to invade your realm.

This would be awesome. Enough said.



It's also time to determine what's left to do with bards, so I can release the class. The class itself is apparently too difficult, and awfully weak, in comparison to other triple classers. At the same time, my goal was for bard to be somewhat less effectively solo, but great as part of a group. Whether that is a viable goal remains to be seen, especially since less people online means fewer opportunities to group.

I'm not sure how difficult this is, but what about adding new skills entirely for bards? For example, the "traditional" gaming bard, if you will, usually carries around a mandolin or harp, and motivates his companions with song. What if TFC bards had a few new skills or songs that somehow added to group damage, hitrate, defense, etc.? This might greatly increase their value. You might even consider implementing such skills in an entirely new fashion, by making the skills available via a special score, which would only be given to the bard AFTER a performance. The better the performance, the better the score given.