[gameprogrammer] Re: COMMENTS PLEASE, CCRPG-[intro]

I played a game a couple of years ago (can't remember the name) where you cast magic spells by gesture. When you learnt a new spell you got a spell icon with a shape on it. In order to cast the spell you drew the shape in mid-air. I absolutely HATED it.

Try drawing even fairly simple shapes using a mouse and you'll soon find out why. The code to decide whether you drew the right shape threw a wobbly if the lines you drew were even slightly out of shape (either the whole form of the gesture or just one line not being completely straight).
Even when not in battle it was next to impossible and you could sit there using up mana all day and still fail to cast the spell. In the end I threw the game in the bin and wasted 40 Euro.

I suspect the code you have to write for the gesture system will be similarly complex and extremely difficult to use.

Just tuppence-worth from someone who seems to be the only person who thinks a gesture system would be bad!

T.

----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris Schnurr" <chris.schnurr@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <gameprogrammer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2005 10:44 AM
Subject: [gameprogrammer] Re: COMMENTS PLEASE, CCRPG-[intro]



On 18 October 2005 10:22 Chris Nystrom writes:

On 10/18/05, Craig Chambers <reym_camroth@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: 

fourth and finally, it really seems to me that there
is too much of this dependence on leveling of the
character. players compare levels of the character
rather than compare the abilities of the character.
also leveling systems like that in D&D games are too
far beyond belief. yes the characters are 'chosen' by
the gods, favored in some way, but does that justify a
human character having 100 hit points when the average
populous has less than 10? i don't think so.


You might consider a hit point location system. Instead of "you just
got hit for 11 points. Sorry, you are dead." to "You just got hit for
11 points in the right arm. Sorry, you will have to fight with your
left arm at reduced capability." A hit point location system is
somewhat of a pain to manage in a paper and dice game, but a computer
game would have no problem at all managing it.

Chris


Ah yes! Hit location can be excellent fun - here's a good example system for
a few ideas:-

http://home.btconnect.com/hughfoster/Traveller/OnTarget.htm

I like this one - "groin : damage x2.5, 98% chance of sterility"

Only problem is your characters starts having loads of visible damage - no
problem for pencil and paper but a pain to remember all the scars, lack of
limbs, etc when coding the game.

C





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