Allan, I just remembered that you sent a great email about dice rolls close to when the mailing list got started. One of the big things in it was being able to base the chance of success on a point value such as strength or dexterity.
These are a new type of points I will want to support in the future.They are basically the same as other points except that they don't have the concept of a max value.
I think this is important. And also determining the chance of successfully disarming a trap versus the chance of triggering the trap versus the chance of failing to disarm but also not triggering.
I think saving throws are kind of like a chance to dodge or resist an effect completely.
I'm going to include a large chunk of your original email so we can consider how we might implement these things with the direction I am currently taking with chance of stuff.
Here's what Allan said:All rpg games of any genre feature a dice roll, with bonus/penelties to modify that dice roll, and in most cases, the total result is then compared to the success number predetermined. This usually means a number or higher is needed to show a success in that dice roll. While other games use other more complex dice roll success methods, I think the simplest method, and most used is the simple number comparison for one roll. Almost all games have dice rolls that are under the number 100. The dice most RPG games use are the d4, d6, d8, d10, d12 and d100. I dont think any dice should be hard coded in. I think mostly that any set of numbers should be entered in, allowing for a map creator to choose what seems right to them. I would imagine that some default file would be set up. All rolls are basically in these catagories. Attack roll, saving roll, skill roll, damage roll, attribute roll. There may be others but these are essentially the basics of most rpg games.
Again, I wouldn't hard code these things. I am thinking along these lines.Have in the unit default file that lists the diffrent rolls the creator wants, just like with the points. These would be default rolls for everything in the map pack. I see them having a minimum/maximum value. So, in a D&D map, I would declare "Attack_roll=1 20" to mean that the attack roll would be a random number between 1 and twenty. Or, if I wanted a roll between 1 and 100 I could make it this way, "Attack_roll=1 100". It might be good to add a "lesser than" to that, so that the program needs to know if a number or higher(default) is to be a success, or a number and lower is to be a success. So let's say I have a halfling with the dexterity attribute of16. I determined that attribute rolls for the halfling are to be "lower than". Meaning that number or lower. I would write it like this, "attribute_roll=1 20 <". That would mean that a roll of 16 or under is a success instead of the normal greater then default. The attributes I see as reagular point max scores. This will make it easier to affect their attributes simply by lowering the point of the attribute. For example, a rogue might have a sneak attack that does "damage" to someone's strength attribute. That could be done with the points which is already set up. For terrain, items and units these would have a defense number of some sort. I am not sure if these should be hard coded or not. But for example, if I wanted my halfling to "picka lock" on a chest, I imagine the chest would have a success number required to do that with. It might skill_roll_success=12" So that the halfing skill roll would kick in, add modifiers, then determine success or not, and any effects after that, such as a trap going off, or a counter on a silent alarm that summons orcs to come and defend their treasure.
Now I am thinking that each unit could be given success numbers.These would tie in with the damage types very nicely. For example one could type in for a halfling unit, "physical_success=12". That would mean all physical attacks would need a twelve or higher to hit the halfling. Skills, effects, items and even terrain would affect the success numbers on units. A map creator would just have to keep the damage types in mind. So essentially each unit, structure and item would need rolls, and numbers to resist rolls against them. the damage roll would be a separate roll on skills and the other objects. It could either be a default, for instance, "longsowrd_damage=1 8" or it could be in the skill as "health_inflict_random=1,8". skills, effects, terrain and items could have modifiers to random rolls. I imagine something like, "damage_roll_add=1" for +1 to random damage rolls, and "attack_roll_add=-1" for a negative one to an attack roll. Of course, I am most familiar with dungeons and dragons so I used that as examples, but the strength would come from a map creator determining the "dice" and all the things scaled to it.
I say: There's a lot there Allan. Thanks for getting us started thinking about these things. I'm not sure it will be implemented exactly as you've laid it out here but what you are trying to solve for is definitely something I want to solve for.
Ian Reed
