=== ANCHOR POEM === ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────── Blizzard should make more than one animation style for swinging your weapon - as you level up, the style "tweens" between however many combat palettes you made. So, like, maybe they swing their sword +/-15 degrees each time to simulate the pseudo random nature of combat. Or maybe they start occasionally stepping into a maneuver Which the player doesn't consciously control. Instinct, if you will. The body reacting to its [sensory organs, but pronounced "surveyor"] Anyway i think by adjusting the monster characters in WoW should wander around and gather within sight of a player. Seeking you out, waiting for a critical threshold of their peers. Then, when you allowed or slowed down to examine a bit of "this-or-here", (quests) they would gang up on you and ambush! Bwaha just watch out for the mob (kinda like that scene in the second book of The Book of Malazan series where they're wandering through a desert storm and meeting all sorts of strange sorts of people) Anyway in seeking to improve the player's view-time, i decided it would feel the most impactful to do the design related things related to things like making the gameplay the most visceral. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────┘ === SIMILARITY RANKED === --- #1 notes/wow-chat-trainers --- ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────── trainers in wowchat should have spells that are only passive / toggled still require level, still require gold (lots of it) but let the game be class- -less. essentially, every trainer teaches to every passerby, and like if you don't want any druid spells, sorry guy all I know is how to be a druid. better wait for the next trainer to come along. you only got like 6g, right? that's enough for two spells. which two do you prioritize? they only come by like every what, 15 minutes? also. separate idea: player characters in wowchat should attack more rhythmically. essentially, normalizing attack speed and moving back-and-forth with the normalized monster attack speed to create a dance of sorts where one character is never attacking at the same time as the other character. plus damage modifiers when you get closer, and bam suddenly you have a new game. oh and rotating around an opponent lowers their defence rating. which is locked at 95% with a +5% to avoidance with every hit they take and -5% for every parry. not dodge, but parry. dodging wears down their health by like 10 hit points. relax it's no big deal you get like, a hundred every time you level up. oh and btw the monsters don't give exp. The stuff that you find does, when you give it to a merchant to be appraised / identified. some stuff you know the worth of, like rope or barrels or hammered-iron-rings. but other stuff, like the value of this bracelet, is harder to know if it glass. so.... take it to the guy whose seen real diamonds, and he'll tell ya how much you learned when you found it last. item A is found on a monsters body item is sold to a vendor for 50 copper item A is found on a monsters body player has learned 25 deca-levels since last selling to vendor. therefore item is worth 75 copper. player earns 75 extra material points. item is worth 75 experience points. level up every thousand or twelve. slow down the attack speed. make characters gain bonuses for movement positiony. start from always and work down to fewer. talent points can be generic if your character is built with abilities. players don't need to press buttons to be engaged. They can just guide and see. I love auto-battlers like Dominions 6 and Legion TD 2 which is based on WC3 mod! monsters should just... wander the world. Don't spawn them randomly, well, instead of a radius around the player, do a radius around the map. then, they walk through a random point, when they leave the circle they angle- -reflect back in, DVD logo style. if there's deadly monsters, there's deadly players, and PVP is always on. low levels should get bonuses to stealth (an ability everyone has) there should be civilians walking around. They can be armed or in caravans... follow roads, or not... monster hordes should spawn as a flock - when an elite enemy is drawn, let the game create several of their minions which follow around. Whenever a monster meets the swarm, they will join it, growing bigger and bigger... hopefully, attracting players who want to fight and slay them. greater rewards are more enticing...! more power is it's own reward. I think that weapons should have like, 3 durability? and armor like 5. then, it's broken, and your character has to abandon it to survive. or, sell it to a vendor, or just... whoever comes along. if 5 people open the chest and don't take the item, then the item disappears... every time a player opens a chest, a bit of wealth appears. every time they spend it? they get stronger, and it disappears. life feeds on life feeds on life feeds on life feeds on life feeds on life feeds the life of wowchat is the life of continual strife, but it doesn't have to be so. The land itself is alive, and the monsters are eternally of woe. you must free them, so that their souls may return to the land, and be born of peace and plenty rather than horror and -- stack overflow -- to do this, you slay them, finish their morthly remains, and let them break down and decompose into dust. Pleants eat dust. dust becomes what we eat and breathe. we, eventually, purify karma. this is our duty. vial of woe behind us. flower of renewal ahead. what we bear is savage sanctity. every time a monster kills a player they gain one of their abilities each time they're spawned. The player can keep the ability too, it's just... the monster will learn. Then, whenever a player levels up by slaying one of them, the spell or ability is unlearned. Symbolizing the players struggle to defeat them, and finally learning a way to overcome. when your character dies, you have no opportunity to release - instead, you just jump to the nearest NPC character which is an adventurer agent smith style. [I don't know about that one...] the players can pick any race, but if they pick undead, they can turn into a ghost when they die. The ghost can wander around and respawn wherever they want. Night Elves can wander around as a whisp (not in spirit world, real world) and do a beam attack like in Legion TD 2. Not enough to kill monsters, but enough to help another player survive. They can also cast rejuvenation, which heals about as much as one monster's damage input. if they get the killing blow on a monster they can level up and deal two monsters worth of damage and heal for two monster damage input. on the third time they don't get more damage or healing but they give a buff to all other whisps in the area that increases their attack speed by 50% and increases the tick rate of their rejuvenation by 50% - fourth time they level up they're free, and they get kicked out to the login screen. what if... vehicles that looked like characters and that you could jump between with the right-click of an item? "this is just dota-ing a vampire survivors." Vampire Survivors is just Magic Survival is just Risk of Rain 2 ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────┘ --- #2 fediverse/3063 --- ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────── @user-570 true. the "massively multiplayer" aspect of WoW is about as important to the game as the "A" is in "ARPG". I can't help but feel like the "impromptu groups" functionality feels a bit better than matchmaker instancing... though anything worth running a group for in WoW after TBC was instanced >.> Honestly I think there's just too many games these days for people to really get "into" MMORPGs, unless they're sufficiently unique in their mechanics (like EVE or Runescape) any ARPG MMOs are dead on launch, as you said. That design space is tapped out, at least for now, until someone comes along and makes it a deckbuilding roguelike or whatever. cough cough ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────┘ --- #3 fediverse/1003 --- ═══════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────── @user-735 I made a World of Warcraft private server where all the default NPCs are removed from the game and the world is empty. But, every once in a while, monsters will spawn and attack you Risk of Rain style. If your character sits down, they stop attacking/spawning. I call it "wow-chat" because I'm bad with names, but the idea is basically a low stakes social game that you can pick up and set down whenever you want, while hanging out with your friends. there's also treasure and wandering merchants, and I've been thinking about adding dynamic quests but so far nobody's asked to play it so I've been working on other things. it's all open source too so you can host it yourself if you want. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────┘ --- #4 fediverse/3037 --- ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────── @user-570 have you ever wanted to design your own MMO? If you think you can make a client, there's a server already set up which interfaces with World of Warcraft. So... the hardest part is done, and suddenly the rest is about as hard as making any other game. The reason I ask is because there's no open-source client for the WoW engine server software Azerothcore, but if written then there could be a whole new field of indie design as solo developers would be able to build their own multiplayer games with ease. well, as easy as making a game in Godot at least. That's the dream. I don't think I could build such an engine, but I spend an awful lot of time thinking about how engines are built. There's a lot of freedom in the design space, for example this mod server I made which emulates Risk of Rain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HsW4g2ZIgk It has randomized enemies, treasure chests, wandering vendors, and deployable hearthstones. If you've played WoW that stuff might ring a bell, otherwise it's probably just random features ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────┘ --- #5 notes/symbeline --- ════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Code Name: Symbeline ----------------------------- gdd initial draft ------------------------------- 1. introduction to fantasy (elevator pitches) 2. kickstarter demands 2. introduction to core gameplay loop 4. tenants and core values of the game design 3. introduction to game modes 5. introduction to technical requirements 6. breakdown of core gameplay loop 7. breakdown of game modes 8. breakdown of fantasy 9. breakdown of technical requirements -------------------------- introduction to fantasy----------------------------- Symbeline is a macro based strategy game and city-builder based around the concept of indirect control. It's inspirations are Majesty the Fantasy Kingdom Simulator (2000), Supreme Commander (2007), and Hearts of Iron IV (2016). It is designed to appeal to fans of tabletop roleplaying games with it's focus on dynamic worldbuilding and sandbox playstyle. The gameplay consists of multiple playstyles depending on which aspects of the game appeal to the player, with choices between an economic focus via the GUI, longterm planning and resource allocation, or diplomacy and subterfuge a'la Ruinarch (2020). ---------------------------- kickstarter demands ------------------------------ 1. prototype 2. gdd 3. estimates for character and environment art 4. estimates for music and sounds 5. estimates for engine development 6. estimates for community management 7. breakdown of mvp, ideal game state, and stretch goals ----------------------- introduction to core gameplay loop -------------------- 1. management of lanes, both width and length 2. casting of spells and utilization of special boons 3. city building with placement, upgrades, and henchmen pathing routes 4. satisfying guild requirements of equipment, manpower, and special resources by managing shipments and local income (UI commodity trading) 5. placement of generalized bounties (think champion's guild from Majesty, not reward flags) 6. diplomacy with neutral, AI, or player controlled kingdoms. Capabilities include pacts and treaties, projects, subterfuge, and tournaments. The diplomacy system can be a stretch goal. -------------------------- tenants and core values ---------------------------- 1. always something to do, but nothing falls apart without your attention. 2. gameplay should be focused on macro rather than micro. Longterm planning and strategic decision making are favored over tactics and skill. 3. defeat should feel avoidable until the last moment, and only as a result of longterm continuous failures rather than short-term mistakes or being blindsided by a cheesy tactic. 4. victory should be gained through exploiting weaknesses and by using lateral thinking. 5. the careful balance of internal and external threats is essential. 6. rapid expansion leads to depletion of internal resources, while slowly expanding can lead to a lack of options 7. the world should feel alive and reactive to your decisions. 8. your kingdom should feel alive and reactive to your decisions. 9. your heroes should feel alive and completely ignorant of your decisions. 10. there should always be opportunities for cooperation with your fellow kingdoms. 11. the frontlines should feel peaceful outside of large battles. 12. everything is flexible and dependant on circumstance 13. there should be enough space on the map for multiple parties of heroes to pass each other like ships in the night without engaging in combat. It should feel like the real world, with canyons and valleys and rivers and mountains - room for lairs and wild animals to roam. 14. monsters are always more dangerous than other humans. 15. the art style should be rooted in classic medieval fantasy. 16. equipment should feel either mass-produced (kingdom), organic (monsters), ancient (lair treasure), or artisinal (enchanted). 17. heroes should feel campy, fun, and adventurous. Avoid dark, grim, and fearful. 18. This game is a toy. 19. This toy should run on any modern computer. 20. This toy should encourage modding. -------------------------- introduction to game modes ------------------------- 1. singleplayer - single kingdom against an island of monsters and neutral settlements. essentially the multiplayer game against zero opponents. 2. singleplayer - multiple kingdoms against an island of monsters and neutral settlements. One player controlled kingdom against multiple AI controlled kingdoms. 3. singleplayer - scenarios, similar to MFKS 4. multiplayer - multiple kingdoms against an island of monsters and neutral settlements. Essentially the singleplayer game with networking added in. 5. multiplayer - co-op scenarios where multiple players play as the same kingdom. A test of the core tenant "there's always something to do" 6. multiplayer - co-op island invasion. Essentially the multiplayer game with more than one player controlling a kingdom. 7. singleplayer - play in 3rd person as a hero in an AI kingdom. Mostly for the novelty since the core gameplay loop is focused on city-building. A test of the core tenant "nothing falls apart without your attention" 1 is mvp. 2-6 are stretch goals in order of ascending difficulty. They should build upon one another - the main steps are: 1. singleplayer island invasion (biggest step) 2. AI controlled kingdoms 3. scenarios 4. multiplayer (second biggest step) 5. cooperatively controlling the same kingdom 6. 3rd person perspective and character controller ------------------------ technical requirements ------------------------------- 1. this game will be written in lua (with Fennel support) and using Raylib. 2. the prototype will be made with Godot using GDscript. 3. if the performance demands are too much for lua or the engine is out of scope for the budget, Rust with the Bevy engine could be used. 4. the final product will include a custom 2d engine designed for large scale maps with an isometric perspective and a data-first design. 5. the game should be as concurrent as possible, to support large numbers of cpu cores and compute shaders. 6. the game will be data-driven, meaning the visual aspects are simply a representation of the interactions of the underlying simulation, rather than an intrinsic component of the computation. 7. Each "event" in the game (a character moves, a building is placed, a monster spawns, etc) will send a message to the visual processing side of the engine, which will present a representation to the user. 8. the map will be a hex grid with pointed-top hexagons. The visual representation of the underlying data may be continuous (non-hex) but the underlying data will be represented on a hexagonal grid. 9. there needs to be character portraits for each type of monster, henchmen, and hero type. You should be able to recognize what attributes a hero specializes in by their portrait. Mvp is 1 attribute, but more can be a stretch goal. 10. Each building, upgrade, and equipment type needs an icon. Stretch goals can be portraits. 11. each henchman, hero type, and monster needs 3 sprites for each action. more actions may be added if budget allows, but mvp is movement and attacking. Several additional sprites may be necessary, like dying, standing still, gathering loot, socializing, or any others. 12. each building needs 4 sprites for the construction process and 4 for the destruction process. Flame effects are stretch goals. 13. each building needs an animated sprite for when it is in use. 14. each lair needs a sprite and an icon. 15. each spell needs an icon and a spell effect sprite. Each projectile needs a sprite. 16. a stretch goal would be differing sprites for each piece of equipment. included with this would be engine work to allow for dynamic sprites. 17. each terrain type should have a ground material and sprites for doodads. 18. there needs to be several GUI menus. The precise number depends on gameplay breakdown. 17. each hero type and henchman needs to have pithy and unique voice lines. this is a stretch goal. 18. there should be music tracks for each part of the game - beginning, middle, and end. 19. there should be sounds for each action that takes place in the game including combat, UI interactions, and spellcasts. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ --- #6 notes/symbeline-2 --- ════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────────────── Code Name: Symbeline ----------------------------- gdd initial draft ------------------------------- 1. introduction to fantasy (elevator pitches) 2. kickstarter demands 2. introduction to core gameplay loop 4. tenants and core values of the game design 3. introduction to game modes 5. introduction to technical requirements 6. breakdown of core gameplay loop 7. breakdown of game modes 8. breakdown of fantasy 9. breakdown of technical requirements -------------------------- introduction to fantasy----------------------------- Symbeline is a macro based strategy game and city-builder based around the concept of indirect control. It's inspirations are Majesty the Fantasy Kingdom Simulator (2000), Supreme Commander (2007), and Hearts of Iron IV (2016). It is designed to appeal to fans of tabletop roleplaying games with it's focus on dynamic worldbuilding and sandbox playstyle. The gameplay consists of multiple playstyles depending on which aspects of the game appeal to the player, with choices between an economic focus via the GUI, longterm planning and resource allocation, or diplomacy and subterfuge a'la Ruinarch (2020). ---------------------------- kickstarter demands ------------------------------ 1. prototype 2. gdd 3. estimates for character and environment art 4. estimates for music and sounds 5. estimates for engine development 6. estimates for community management 7. breakdown of mvp, ideal game state, and stretch goals ----------------------- introduction to core gameplay loop -------------------- 1. management of lanes, both width and length 2. casting of spells and utilization of special boons 3. city building with placement, upgrades, and henchmen pathing routes 4. satisfying guild requirements of equipment, manpower, and special resources by managing shipments and local income (UI commodity trading) 5. placement of generalized bounties (think champion's guild from Majesty, not reward flags) 6. diplomacy with neutral, AI, or player controlled kingdoms. Capabilities include pacts and treaties, projects, subterfuge, and tournaments. The diplomacy system can be a stretch goal. -------------------------- tenants and core values ---------------------------- 1. always something to do, but nothing falls apart without your attention. 2. gameplay should be focused on macro rather than micro. Longterm planning and strategic decision making are favored over tactics and skill. 3. defeat should feel avoidable until the last moment, and only as a result of longterm continuous failures rather than short-term mistakes or being blindsided by a cheesy tactic. 4. victory should be gained through exploiting weaknesses and by using lateral thinking. 5. the careful balance of internal and external threats is essential. 6. rapid expansion leads to depletion of internal resources, while slowly expanding can lead to a lack of options 7. the world should feel alive and reactive to your decisions. 8. your kingdom should feel alive and reactive to your decisions. 9. your heroes should feel alive and completely ignorant of your decisions. 10. there should always be opportunities for cooperation with your fellow kingdoms. 11. the frontlines should feel peaceful outside of large battles. 12. everything is flexible and dependant on circumstance 13. there should be enough space on the map for multiple parties of heroes to pass each other like ships in the night without engaging in combat. It should feel like the real world, with canyons and valleys and rivers and mountains - room for lairs and wild animals to roam. 14. monsters are always more dangerous than other humans. 15. the art style should be rooted in classic medieval fantasy. 16. equipment should feel either mass-produced (kingdom), organic (monsters), ancient (lair treasure), or artisinal (enchanted). 17. heroes should feel campy, fun, and adventurous. Avoid dark, grim, and fearful. 18. This game is a toy. 19. This toy should run on any modern computer. 20. This toy should encourage modding. -------------------------- introduction to game modes ------------------------- 1. singleplayer - single kingdom against an island of monsters and neutral settlements. essentially the multiplayer game against zero opponents. 2. singleplayer - multiple kingdoms against an island of monsters and neutral settlements. One player controlled kingdom against multiple AI controlled kingdoms. 3. singleplayer - scenarios, similar to MFKS 4. multiplayer - multiple kingdoms against an island of monsters and neutral settlements. Essentially the singleplayer game with networking added in. 5. multiplayer - co-op scenarios where multiple players play as the same kingdom. A test of the core tenant "there's always something to do" 6. multiplayer - co-op island invasion. Essentially the multiplayer game with more than one player controlling a kingdom. 7. singleplayer - play in 3rd person as a hero in an AI kingdom. Mostly for the novelty since the core gameplay loop is focused on city-building. A test of the core tenant "nothing falls apart without your attention" 1 is mvp. 2-6 are stretch goals in order of ascending difficulty. They should build upon one another - the main steps are: 1. singleplayer island invasion (biggest step) 2. AI controlled kingdoms 3. scenarios 4. multiplayer (second biggest step) 5. cooperatively controlling the same kingdom 6. 3rd person perspective and character controller ------------------------ technical requirements ------------------------------- 1. this game will be written in lua (with Fennel support) and using Raylib. 2. the prototype will be made with Godot using GDscript. 3. if the performance demands are too much for lua or the engine is out of scope for the budget, Rust with the Bevy engine could be used. 4. the final product will include a custom 2d engine designed for large scale maps with an isometric perspective and a data-first design. 5. the game should be as concurrent as possible, to support large numbers of cpu cores and compute shaders. 6. the game will be data-driven, meaning the visual aspects are simply a representation of the interactions of the underlying simulation, rather than an intrinsic component of the computation. 7. Each "event" in the game (a character moves, a building is placed, a monster spawns, etc) will send a message to the visual processing side of the engine, which will present a representation to the user. 8. the map will be a hex grid with pointed-top hexagons. The visual representation of the underlying data may be continuous (non-hex) but the underlying data will be represented on a hexagonal grid. 9. there needs to be character portraits for each type of monster, henchmen, and hero type. You should be able to recognize what attributes a hero specializes in by their portrait. Mvp is 1 attribute, but more can be a stretch goal. 10. Each building, upgrade, and equipment type needs an icon. Stretch goals can be portraits. 11. each henchman, hero type, and monster needs 3 sprites for each action. more actions may be added if budget allows, but mvp is movement and attacking. Several additional sprites may be necessary, like dying, standing still, gathering loot, socializing, or any others. 12. each building needs 4 sprites for the construction process and 4 for the destruction process. Flame effects are stretch goals. 13. each building needs an animated sprite for when it is in use. 14. each lair needs a sprite and an icon. 15. each spell needs an icon and a spell effect sprite. Each projectile needs a sprite. 16. a stretch goal would be differing sprites for each piece of equipment. included with this would be engine work to allow for dynamic sprites. 17. each terrain type should have a ground material and sprites for doodads. 18. there needs to be several GUI menus. The precise number depends on gameplay breakdown. 17. each hero type and henchman needs to have pithy and unique voice lines. this is a stretch goal. 18. there should be music tracks for each part of the game - beginning, middle, and end. 19. there should be sounds for each action that takes place in the game including combat, UI interactions, and spellcasts. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ --- #7 notes/coh-waves-of-playerbases --- ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────── imagine if there was a stacking inf bonus to players who played on red / blueside which increased or decreased depending on either A. the number of players online at the time, B. the proportion of players playing on that team versus the other, or C. the time of day. Essentially helping to cure the faction imbalance by offering rewards to one side or the other which would encourage a certain group in the population of the game to change sides or not. perhaps frequent changing could grant a title called "mercenary" or something like "log in for each consecutive day for 10 days straight and each day switch faction alignment at least once" ... anyway you could cure the faction imbalance between redside / blueside by offering an INF reward for playing on each side one by one alternating like an iterator first red then blue or first blue then red either way it doesn't matter because it'll switch after a while and encourage everyone to switch sides. And the way the character responds to that stimulus tells you a bit about their character's personality. also... it should not affect AE or Pocket D farms. Nor missions, TFs, or anything else. they should SOLELY impact open world patrolling / hunting. I believe this would not only incentivize people to spend time in the open world (which is a mostly unused piece of game assets) but it would also increase the visibility of the newly bolstered faction numbers. Think about it - if everyone who switched sides is out in the open world, then they could see each other. They could fight the same mobs, and team up together. In doing so, they could form greater and greater supergroups - if only through their interactions with one another as they level up. If they're lucky, the guild they're recruited into has similar interests in mind like doing raiding or PvP or economics or alts or whatever. And they each have their own different styles of operating, it's soooo cute. Like alt guilds will pop up and then migrate to a new one as people make new alts and grow tired of them at higher levels. It's great. I love MMOs! I wish people put half as much effort into making an open source WoW client that they do programming game engines like Godot or Raylib or Bevy. If such a thing was created, we could have a new rennaisance in indie MMO development. It would become fully non-proprietary, the entire game-platform-stack. Meaning anyone could create their own MMO off of it, because (crucially) the serverside soft- -ware has already been reverse engineered. And open sourced. Seriously. You wanna make as much bank as Steam? Make an open source client that lets you design while in it. Then you could charge people for all the games that they played that were designed and hosted by you the content designing software maker. ... okay it's probably not that simple I'm going to go play Unreal Tournament2k4 ` ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═══════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────┘ --- #8 notes/game-design-2 --- ═════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────────────────────── the method of game design is identification of playstyles and the balancing of success rates of each of those playstyles. then, giving the player as many different possible methods of playing the game. the more different they are, the better, and they should be unique enough that the decisions taken to play that playstyle feel impactful. meaning, a player could play offensively or defensively, for example, or a WoW player might play a melee or ranged character. in addition, they might use the pieces available to them in a unique way that aligns with their personality - everyone should be able to express themselves as much as possible while also keeping the game fair, balanced, and rewarding. It should incentivize the development of skill - and gently guide the player through various mistakes. It should ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧══════════════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ --- #9 notes/symbeline-design-the-guild --- ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────── design the guild, design the capital, then design their path through mordaunts. easy peasy. design the guild like a museum. Each spot there's an exhibit which teaches the randomly generated rolled statistics hero something new. Maybe it teaches them how to use certain weaponry, maybe it teaches them how to use a bow. Whatever the spell might be, they can learn it, and use their randomly rolled statistics to cast spells that scale differently depending on how their character has been built. design the capital like a flow diagram, if horses need feed and forged steel (for their shoes) then send the outputs of a blacksmith and the outputs of the farmers to the inputs of the stables. Everything has to go somewhere, but the streets are only so wide. You'll have to coordinate the traffic diagram if you want it to go anywhere useful. design the path through the mordaunts. Fighting skeletons teaches you about perseverence and the ability to crush bones, while goblins teach you to always be wary of attack. The sacred grove held blessed berries, and now that the land is liberated from the evil bandits preying on villagers those berries can be carted into town and used to make an antidote which heals death poison caused by the scorpions in the desert (and city rats) design the ruler's schedule like a calendar where each event gives them a bonus on all the ones that come later. Just make sure that they don't get knifed in the posterier or driven mad by the whispers of the orb... or perhaps just the stress of running a kingdom. (how do you simulate that? you can't! you can't simulate humans!) ha I bet I can. They're not so different, you and I, so if given a team I will... ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────┘ --- #10 fediverse/3 --- ═════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────────────────────── the method of game design is identification of playstyles and the balancing of success rates of each of those playstyles. then, giving the player as many different possible methods of playing the game. the more different they are, the better, and they should be unique enough that the decisions taken to play that playstyle feel impactful. meaning, a player could play offensively or defensively, for example, or a WoW player might play a melee or ranged character. in addition, they might use the pieces available to them in a unique way that aligns with their personality - everyone should be able to express themselves as much as possible while also keeping the game fair, balanced, and rewarding. It should incentivize the development of skill - and gently guide the player through various mistakes. #gamedesign ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧══════════════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ --- #11 fediverse/4676 --- ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────── ... but I needed to choose lawful-good at character creation in order to play a paladin. the guard looks at you with confusion, decides you're hallucinating and dangerous (because of the sword) and forcibly detains you wait, what did you think I was going to say? Did you think I was going to advocate for crimes on a public forum?? what am I a gopher? do you take me for a lemur in jamaica? am I truly so triceratops to you that you'd think I'd do something so washing machine? Get real, I'd never byzantium my way into such a utterly coherent and clearly intentional and not at all arcane situation. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────┘ --- #12 notes/symbeline-superheros --- ════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────────────── imagine low level characters in CoH/V playing a game of symbeline and you as the ruler can slot enhancements and dole out inspirations as they sweep the streets like you play CoX instead of a MMO it's a deckbuilding strategy with a slice of zachtronics for the economy wiring up machines in ever expanding deseagns like automating factorio's gameplay loop boxes within boxes of intrinsic delight like making a CPUter or designing a computer program while playing a video game ^_^ and the games that you make can be shared and played when unique so go for it and make that you're dreaming! =============================================================================== = the goal of each "level" is to solve a particular problem - like how do I make a 2 bit register - or something like that. When accomplished, it unlocks something for your heroes to acquire. And each playthrough will require a repeat until you have it memorized at which point you can unlock "perma-badges" that make it always unlocked at the start of the game. Like learning Kanji, you need spaced repetition. BUT ANYWAYS it'll be in magical terms like "unlock essence-stones" or "learn the ritual of desire" or whatever. And each of those terms roughly corresponds to a pattern in electrical engineering (designing CPUs and such) And you can learn advanced versions of what you already know by uncovering "lost secrets" (which is a reward your heros can find) - Basically it'd be like a "clue" that shows you a ghost version of something you haven't figured out yet - and it'd be a slow process because you need to slow down the learning process or else you'll forget. Basically teasing it out of the player when they seem to be stuck. Asking probing questions and whatnot, and eventually culminating in the final question, assuming the quest is succeeding. Because if you think about it all ancient quests were simply journeys for reason - searching for the answer to some ancient riddle or bastardized retelling. Looking for answers in an unknowing world. So ANYWAY as your heros discover things you as the ruler get answers to the economic puzzle - how to design transistors and whatnot. But they would be in theme appropriate terms, of course. You don't even have to know a lot about mechanical electrical design, because ChatGPT knows. All you need to do is build the basic building blocks, and BAM you got a great place to integrate chatgpt. Just prime it such that it's giving hints one by one each slightly more revealing until eventually after X amount of clues the solution is automatically shown (like a blueprint) and the player can remember it or not but each playthrough they'll have to build it again from scratch (reinforcement learning) so eventually they'll be able to do it real quick. Essentially, "Abstraction - The Game" great so you got your economic simulation, pretty easy too just some UI work and for the heroes you're playing an ARPG sorta (supcom anyone?) Think Bannerlord for the scaling on the map then think of 5+ different "themes" like fantasy or superhero or pirates each "theme" will correspond to like a faction in Mount and Blade and all you have to do is generate pictures using Midjourney and text descriptions a'la the magic scroll shown as "bubble pop-ups" on the map that the player can click never overwhelming, but descripting what's happening and also some more UI work because you gotta display all that to the player Maybe it could be a rolling story, news ticker style - like slowly scrolling lines of text about what's happening in the world and the player could have it open in one window and something else in the other and whenever they're waiting on something (say, a processing intensive AI task on their computer) they could just glance over and read what's going on in their fantasy world okay okay but also they could play as a hero it could be an ARPG experience except instead of clicking to fight you play a little automatic Star Realms game and depending on your deck choices you'd have a different playthrough. Again, not a game that requires much thought, but one you can have in the background. Also there'd be pictures, like a slowly evolving storyline of events - think of it like the artists of the time drawing paintings about what's going on in the story - major events would be highlighted and kept in the painting until even- -tually they get replaced - sorta like the Smash Bros scrolling painting (oh it's so good) =============================================================================== = it doesn't have to be an expansionist game maybe you guys just live in your little valley and the world turns around you maybe it's called "symbeline" because the people are of the forest and they live like elves in society monsters could wander in, and heros could tackle them but most of the time would be spent looking for trouble going on patrol you know, breaking skeleton bones and being superheros okay okay you know that superhero faction? What if they had MEDIEVAL TECHNOLOGY but MODERN DAY SUPERPOWERS at a cost - the society was beset by hordes of monst- -ers. Those few who escaped are now superpowered and they live as friendly and nomadic wanderers through their own territory. Always adventuring, and always searching for their life, finding whatever the road may carry them to. It's a great life, and life seems to flourish in their footsteps - they are like part dryad/druid and part wolf. Because sometimes there's evil threats, and they must be defeated by an equally strong good power. That's how it goes, and that's how it be. For imagery I'm thinking a mix of the tribes from Dominions (deer, wolf, bear, etc) but they're like, 1.5x as big as regular people and quite strong. The outsiders call them "giants" or "goliaths" but really they're just infused with the lifeforce of their people. They are radical individualists, but they all unite for a common cause. They know their bond is the strongest thing there is, and they use it to great effect when the time comes. AHHH THEY'RE SO COOL I LOVE THEM okay okay what about the other factions? PIRATES? Oh think about it like it's st patricks day WHAT IF THEY WERE IRISH PIRATES omg omg omg that sounds so cool I'm DIGGING this okay what about the other factions? You need 5+ you said hmmmmmmmmm good question I have 3 now so that's 2 more. yep... =============================================================================== = okay dude check this what if they were a nation of wizards that focused on the power of animation - what if they generated constructs, sorta like in Supreme Commander so they were EVEN MORE individualist - haha no they'd have a normal population it's just a few of them who would be wizards - because their output wasn't measured by manpower, but rather by brainpower. Whoever could design the greatest machine was exemplared, and eventually they became the best and brightest among us. They were put in charge of the golem creation factories, and they used them instead of heros. SO BASICALLY YOUR HEROS NEVER DIE they just have successes and failures JUST LIKE IN SUPREME COMMANDER okay the plot of this game is "what if all my favorite games were the essence of life and death in a fantasy game" like OMG KEEP EM COMIN' so. who is the player? THE PLAYER is the one who's overseeing it all. They have dominion over the entire kingdom, and they guide their people toward a bright future. They are vulnerable in their castle, but their people have their back. Together they fight for the future. They slot enhancements and dole out inspirations and solve the economic puzzle in the background. They also make decisions about what kind of equipment production to prioritize - because each game they have to invent everything from scratch. All their production is made with endless abstraction, and whatever you prioritize is what's magnified in your kingdom. You choose a style and it plays as well as it's guile, I dunno this seems like a lot, what would you need to make this a reality? hmmmm let's break it down: first you need to implement the star realms gameplay then you need to hook it up to a square grid and have multiple occurences at once. then you need UI for the character sheets and you need logic to open separate windows for each output type you need... a lot of things okay let's talk more broadly - what do you need from other people and what can you do on your own? hmmm good question. I can do the star realms gameplay, and the simulation for the wiring systems - because I have the VM. Make that into the gameplay somehow okay good idea like okay authoring vm package routing deliveries between the various nodes that you set up in the economic system - side note, the peril of Spore was that it took to little time to develop a species. it should have lasted as long as WoW takes to get to max level. That would have given them time to reiterate the gameplay loops to make sure they worked correctly. ANYWAY okay authoring VM package routing. The player could set up delivery patterns based on A MAZE OMG your kingdom is like a maze and you need to get deliveries out, or else how would anything function? SO you act as a trailblazer, finding ways through the labyrinth and "piloting" a car sorta like that game at Disney quest with the cars under the floor - except you can see both the top view of the maze and you're trying to guide the car in real time as it travels through the maze - the faster you can get to the end the better ofc. like talking to the delivery driver through the movement do I like that idea more or less than the first one? First idea being the idea that you're making lists of commands for a VM to execute. I don't think they'd be a good idea to mix. So which one gets it? The VM of course has the edge because that's what the technology is based on. But will it translate to good gameplay? Idk. This second idea is certainly better gameplay, but is it engaging? Idk! Idk. I'm not a miracle worker. But I do have good ideas, and I need to be told that sometimes I guess. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ --- #13 notes/wow-chat-raids --- ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────── wowchat would make a great game for raids. have the monsters spawn at specific spots that you go through and identify on the geometry tell them to run and attack the nearest of foes give the players the goal of bringing themselves through to the end... or, later on, in building an internal expedition. wow-chat, where monsters spawn in a circle around your character and walk to ward them. you can meet characters who'll follow and protect you, and you can meet monsters to fight. also vendors to take your junk and give you cool things, and trainers to teach you and quest-givers to guide you and treasure for you to find. in raids, there are more things for you. monsters spawn at specified locations, and only the nearest few in a radius. then, they attack over the landscape-of- -imagination, and as they do they show you where is the most powerful loot. if you raid a monster's den/hiding/spawning choice, then you have to defeat the boss. this boss is larger, mostly. has more hitpoints... monstly. or maybe it's just the most respected, who can say. anyway, you get treasure if you do. the monster spawns for you when you find it. and you have to sense it by searching for whichever monsters spawn at higher and higher levels and in different types. different monster type, different boss that way. when the boss is slain, that type goes away. at least, until the raid resets next week. or maybe... until enough resources have been gathered to make another attempt. death knights should be able to command the minions to work in the haunted mill. it should be reasonable for a fighter to hire a peasant host. mages should have golems or spirits or enchanted objects or elementals or wizard hats warlocks should have covenants with dark hosts darkness is not evil unless you use it for evil... paladins should have retainers and disciples elves should sing to the woods clerics and charmers should be well understood. celebrants and diviners are two of the same, and pillars of plunder [warrior or rogue class] and rough and ripe [from the stoner] oops gotta go, sprung a leak ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────┘ --- #14 fediverse/982 --- ═══════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────── @user-707 @user-708 using this to control the buttons in VRchat would be like a person with a prosthetic interacting with real life :O minus the physicality of course, but that's next. can't wait to play Warcraft 3 and think "select all healers" so I can point them at a dying unit with my mouse. or world of warcraft where your rotation begins to feel like a song. maybe even a text-based adventure, where you reading the text corresponds to the results of the simulation, https://www.spreeder.com/app.php style. could make it so that if you wanted something else to happen, you had to willfully think it while the words are flashing in front of your eyes - the game would pause if you blinked, perfect for phones btw... could be a locally networked thing, like four to six people hanging out and playing a game like pictionary or charades. except, a story that developed, and whoever wanted could change it while everyone was reading it at once. sorta like a competition to see who can make the best twists and false endings ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────┘ --- #15 fediverse/5900 --- ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────── I love programming, but I'm not a coder. you burn witches because you JUST CAN'T HANDLE THEM ANYMORE. I know, I get it. of course I do. I'm always so concerned that someone might stumble upon me. that they might read me. what a vulnerable state, to be afraid?! I really really really really wanna play world of warcraft my message to blissard is: treat World of Warcraft like a game engine, not a theme park please. I mean, the theme park should still exist, because it's neat but... the rest of the game engine could be used to create essentially anything with a 3rd person camera. singleplayer doesn't even need to worry about clipping animations. (lag) I wonder if you could run World of Warcraft on lowest settings in vanilla burning crusade or wrath of the lich king? good thing those are open source now, so you can host your own if you want. well, except the client, but nobody has bothered to write another one besides the owner and primary developers of the engine. movement system plugins? data memory?~~~ ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────┘ --- #16 notes/wow-server --- ═══════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── =============================================================================== This server has several modifications to the base gameplay elements of World of Warcraft. The first is the reduction in scale - the entirety of the server is located in The Barrens and Ashenvale. The second is the new itemization system, which necessitates alterations to the base game as well - gear upgrades are replaced with gem upgrades, allowing gameplay customization to a greater degree than with gear upgrades. Third and finally, the goals of the game are no longer personal development - rather, a more communal focus will be implemented via shared goals and contributions. =============================================================================== The first of these aspects is the easiest to explain. The server is intended to be a PvP server, with the primary conflict being between Orcs and Night Elves. The orcs are of course set up in The Barrens, while the Night Elves have Ashenvale. The core meta-gameplay loop is that each faction sends out patrols and raids. Patrols are defensive groups of NPCs that rotate around the map searching for enemies. If they encounter an enemy, they fight and should they survive they'll return home with all the loot that is placed in a pool for the next patrol. Once a certain amount of equipment and supplies have been gathered it'll automatically depart. Raids, on the other hand, are offensive maneuvers into enemy territory. They offer the greatest rewards (enemy equipment is priceless for intel) and they require the strongest equipment and warriors. Offensive raids are less automatic than patrols, and are sent toward a designated location rather than spiraling outward. Should the raid be successful, they'll set up camp at the location and become a quest hub for their faction. In doing so, they'll have opportunities for players to complete that will grant their faction bonuses. Usually something like unlocking a vendor that sells unique items to players, or providing a steady supply of food or weapons for the faction. Players can contribute supplies (trade goods or equipment) to the war effort, and ideally they'd actually see their weapons and armor being used by the soldiers carrying out these maneuvers. To that end, the profession system must be revamped to create more interesting gameplay. First, however, the itemization system must be explained or else the professions won't make sense. =============================================================================== =============================================================================== On this server, everyone wears the same equipment - they're part of an army after all. And armies have uniforms. These pieces of equipment have sockets that can be fit with gems, allowing the player to customize their gameplay style. The combat system is intentionally a little bland or slow, to allow for the choices made in gearing to have the greatest effect on the gameplay style of the character. Inspired by roguelike games, this server has a level cap of 20 with the starting level at 10. During the 10 levels your character will grow more specialized, but not necessarily stronger. The most interesting abilities are at level 20 of course, to incentivize levelling all the way, but you can make due with lower levels if necessary. There's no permadeath, however there is an incentive to "prestige" your character - they become a permanent member of the faction guard! This elite cadre defends the Crossroads and Astranaar. Until they die, of course... The combat system is revamped a little as well - all characters have a default of 95% chance to parry, but every parry reduces that chance by 5%. Every time a character is hit, that chance goes halfway back up to 95%, to create a more rhythmic flow to the combat. All attack speeds are standardized at 2.00 to help players follow the tempo, and most abilities are like Heroic Strike or Cleave in that they activate on next weapon swing. Here's a few examples of melee abilities: - Your next melee strike deals 130% damage - Your next melee strike hits two additional nearby targets for 20% damage - Your next melee strike has a 100% chance to hit, but increases their parry chance by 10% - Your next melee strike has a 100% chance to hit, but lowers your parry chance by 10% - Your next melee strike doubles the cast-speed on your next spell - Your next melee strike halves the cast-speed on your opponents next spell - Your next melee strike grants a buff which reduces your attack cooldown to 1.50 seconds, hopefully confusing the enemy...! - Your next melee strike increases your movement speed by 20% for 5 seconds Each gem has a special effect that is unlike the standard "+5 strength" style gems typical in World of Warcraft. Here's a few examples: - Every 5 seconds gain a damage shield for 10 hit points - Gain 4 hp5 - Every 3 hits deal 12 extra fire damage - Deal an extra 5 fire damage on each melee attack - Every 16 seconds deal 40 cold damage to a random nearby opponent - Deal 5 thorns damage whenever you are struck in combat - Every 20 seconds cast a HoT spell on a random nearby injured ally - Every 20 seconds cast a DoT spell on a random nearby enemy - Increase your baseline parry chance by 5% - Reduces your opponent's parry chance by an extra 1% on every hit - Every time you are hit while below 30% health increase your movement speed by 30% for 5 seconds (30 second cooldown) - Increases your movement and attack speed by 5% =============================================================================== =============================================================================== The profession system has been overhauled as well. There are four classes in the game, two for each faction. On the Horde, you play as either a Grunt or a Shaman, while on the Alliance you are either a Huntress or a Druid. These classes are similar to their faction counterparts, with differing flavor and some mechanical differences. In addition, the Horde values the elements while the Night Elves favor natural powers - Storm Earth and Fire versus Leaf Cold and Star. The magic user classes are the primary production class, while the warrior classes are better suited for gathering. There are both PvP and PvE methods to acquire materials, but the PvP combat rewards more and better goods while the PvE methods are reliable and farmable. These goods primarily consist of ores, crystal gems, and arcane dust. Ores can be fashioned into weapons and armor, while gems can be cut into gems and dust can be used for enchantments. The strongest equipment requires all three to make, but can be assembled from the intermediate components in addition to the raw components. Magic users have gems as well, here's some examples: - Every 3rd weapon you craft has a random lightning enchantment - Every 7th lightning enchantment you cast creates a random yellow gemstone - Your summoned elementals cost one fewer gemstone (minimum 1) - Every third elemental you summon has an extra support drone - Each time you conjure strawberries, you generate one more. - Each time you create sharpening/weightstones, you create one more. - You gain an extra inventory slot. - Your movement speed is increased by 20% for 15 seconds each time you complete a profession action - The weapons you forge deal an extra 5 damage - The armor you create has an extra 25 armor - The gemstones you cut are slightly stronger (depending on the stone) - The enchantments you cast are slightly stronger (depending on the spell) Magic users can still engage in combat, and their gameplay is slightly altered. Most offensive spells have a "target ground" targeting method, however the splash box is very small, and the actual spell is a cone attack toward the specified point. The cones are very thin, thin enough to be lines, and they target only the first enemy hit by the cone. Here's an illustration: mage targeting || spell # X O || #-----X O enemy reticle || Their support abilities are all auras, some with passive effects and others with active (but untargeted) effects. Meaning, one might be similar to a paladin's Devotion Aura while another might randomly target a wounded ally and heal them. Should scope permit, each class (shaman vs druid) might have flipped ability types - shamans targeting ground for their support abilities with auras for their offensive abilities, while druids targeting ground on offense and auras for support. For now, this is enough. =============================================================================== =============================================================================== In addition to crafting weapons and magical augmentations for their faction, magic users can also summon elementals to aid them. These elementals act as soldiers in the army, and are about as strong as one too - "summoning" one creates an item in your inventory that can be turned into the quartermaster who will treat it as another soldier. Speaking of soldiers, they can be recruited by trading in "meat" (gained from hunting) or other types of food (including summoned strawberries) to the quartermaster (located in Astranaar / The Crossroads) who will put the food in the stockpile. When the stockpile of trade goods is large enough, a caravan will be sent to the capital cities. These caravans travel through mostly friendly territory (to Ratchet for the Horde, and to Darkshore for Night Elves) These caravans can be raided, but it's a difficult proposition since they're heavily armed. MVP doesn't include this btw, it's just turning in goods to the quartermaster who "handles it" and recruits new soldiers. The quartermaster will show exactly what resources your faction has, and depending on certain threshholds stuff will happen. For example, if you have enough men and weapons then a patrol will be sent out. Extras get put into the pile for the next raid, so depending on what resource you have the most of the next raid will look different. This information may be valuable to your opponents...! The Orcs raid during the day because they are brave and strong. The Night Elves raid during the night because... Well it's in their name. And they can see in the dark. Ultravision, baby! Anyway the server has a drastically reduced time frame, each day is around 2 hours of IRL time - meaning there's a raid approximately once every hour. Here are some examples of material exchanges: - Food = Soldiers - Food = Gold (sent back on caravan) - Gold = Mercenaries (Quilboar / Furlbog) - Gold = Purchasing ores from caravans - Equipment = "Activated" warriors - Equipment = Sold for gold - Ores = Forged into equipment - Ores = Prospected for gemstones - Gemstones = Cut into gems for equipment - Gemstones = Crushed into arcane dust - Gemstones = Used to contain the soul of an elemental soldier - Arcane dust = Used for enchantments - Arcane dust = Used to conjure berries - Misc trade goods = sold for gold, can be acquired via quests All of these exchanges happen through various NPCs in Astranaar / Crossroads. The result of these interactions between player and NPC is a communal effect, not a personal one - gold is stored with the faction, not the player. The idea is to make the player feel like part of a cohesive whole - a cog in a machine, rather than a superhero. I believe this is an important lesson to learn, and I'd like to apply the game mechanics toward teaching that lesson. =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Each quest hub taken over by a raid can offer quests for players to do. These are daily quests (repeatable) and they usually unlock a piece of content such as a vendor "the murlocs to the south have a clam farm, I bet we can harvest pearls there" so if the player fights murlocs, then the vendor is unlocked for everyone to use. With a limited supply of course, meaning if you want more than X pearls then someone has to go kill more murlocs...! This dynamic allows people to play the game how they will. It also incentivizes people to explore different playstyles - maybe it's worth it to have one person visit each quest hub, grab all the extra goods that have been farmed, and take them home to the capital? Sorta like a hauler in Eve Online. There are also places like mines and caves. These often have golems made out of copper or tin (remember this is only level 20 or so) that can be mined after being defeated - but they're tough! Tough as a raid boss, in fact. They reward primarily profession materials, but only basic ores. Useful for equipment, less so for player progression. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧════════════───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ --- #17 notes/hs-suggestion --- ═══════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────── every hunting season segment every team should be dissolved and if you wanted to keep playing together you'd have to re-add one another. like, a giant monster that the whole server had to fight, and once you beat it then it retreats, licks it's wounds, then returns even stronger than before - 3 times, one for each hs style (in the video game Ulala hs stands for "hunting season" which is an event in the game that is only for new characters. basically it's a long tutorial or introduction to the game where people make friends and talk and hang out and practice their strategies. a chat application mixed in with a tactics simulation . it lasts for 30 days. you'd all fight the giant monster but on random teams, in a game mode that took about an hour. it'd be at a common time across the whole server and it would be an optional event - maybe it'd take a whole day? idk I was thinking more like an hour, but that's something that's tweakable. anyway it's sudden arrival during a feast or something made all the warriors of the world stand up together and fight as one for a common goal... if only for a moment, before they'd go back to fighting one another. like the two factions in Warcraft lore. anyway this event causes you to be matched up with a random team (the randos you happened to be standing by when it happened) and once it's over you have to search for your allies if you want to keep adventuring with them. it's a big event after all. so everyone should be forced to go into their friends list, find the people they were just on a team with, and invite them back. only if both invited the other would they be put into a group, and anyone can invite (with a 30s cooldown) anyway... this would encourage players to mix and match their collective playstyle to better overcome challenges - sorta the idea of Overwatch's switching, where you're encouraged to swap characters to counter your opponent and also switch characters to better utilize your opponent's weak spots (like switching to Pharah if they don't have hitscan, or brigitte if they have a lot of snipers (she can shield passage through choke points from sniper fire - not so much regular fire) y'know countering - every character counters another with one of their abilities, that's just how it goes. some are countered twice, and so they form a "category" of counters, like AoE (area of effect or elevation focused (it's hard to aim up in Overwatch) poke damage (damage applied before the team fight begins), DoT (damage over time for contesting AoE heals), vampiric (steals health from opponents and heals self or allies (turning one resource, enemy hp, into another (player or teammate hp)), stacking damage (damage that is weak at first but increases over time), spread/cleave/splash damage (extra damage that is applied to targets near your primary target), a vector of backline vs frontline location+target, you get the picture.))) I kinda want to make an AI that can generalize playing games. I think if you could do such a thing, you'd invent automatic problem solving. which would do... so many things for humanity we could dedicate ourselves to working for our selves, solely focused on protecting the biosphere. like, a common human religion. nobody WANTS to litter. nobody WANTS to pollute. but still it happens. still it causes IRREPARABLE HARM. so it literally makes sense to worship nature, just saying. nature exists. nature is REAL. we can see it, we can TOUCH IT WITH OUR HANDS. what more proof of a god do you demand? ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────┘ --- #18 notes/supreme-commander-appeal --- ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────── a game like supreme commander but fantasy themed and each unit used a special move everytime their mana was full and there were spellcasters who restored mana to targets to increase their power or, hear me out, or, just do that in wowchat I betcha could do it I bet it would be fun as hell please? as a favor to yourself? build the game you want to see and it'll get done please -- stack overflow -- your journals were originally a way for you to remember what to think, remember? old projects meant to show you light and life remember? you are alone in this soul act like it's your own celebrate your period of mental denial as a refraction of your infinite travaille which lasts for quite a good long while have you ever dreamed of the nile? -- stack overflow -- if a doorway takes you to the fae, then where does a river bring you? like raindrops on the floor, racing for an eternity's splendor. what does the rainbow think, as it's cast from the prismatic orb? are each photons aware? bouncing between stars light is beautiful and large beloved by all revered by one ephemeren the totality of all things ------------------ ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────┘ --- #19 notes/symbeline-aspects --- ═════════════════════────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 7-24-22 There are three aspects to this game. Broadly, they are military, economics, and diplomacy. More specifically, they are lateral problem solving and lane management, logistic traffic management, and a worker-placement bluffing game. These three aspects can be toggled on and off at will, essentially designating one or more as "AI controlled" and will require no input from the player. They will time their progression to be about at the same rate as the player, thus creating a balanced feel to the game. They also provide alerts and notifications to the player, for example if military is AI controlled and it needs a certain type of hero to progress, it'll ask for it specifically. Each aspect will develop and progress at it's own rate, and the difficulty increases as each milestone is achieved. This is to allow the player to create their own difficulty curve, mediated primarily by their drive to proceed. An analogy would be in Factorio, the game doesn't increase in difficulty unless the player builds pollution spawning factories - in the same way, in Symbeline the difficulty doesn't increase unless the player solves lane challenges in the military aspect, develops new trade routes / traffic paths in the economic aspect, or creates new treaties in the diplomatic aspect. In order to properly explain each aspect, a brief overview will be necessary. In Symbeline, the game plays as a factory might operate. The economic aspect produces heroes, items, and other deliverables that are consumed by the military and diplomatic aspects. There are various problems that need to be solved far from the capital, such as a particular type of monster that is weak or immune to various damage types which necessitates particular heroes or items in order to progress on the military aspect. All of the resources in the game operate on an "income based" system, where output is not measured in total amounts but rather in terms of how much is produced versus consumed. If the input cannot meet the demand, the output is slowed. If input exceeds demand it can be converted into gold which can be used to hire guards and heroes. Resources can be produced inside and outside of the city, depending on their type. But they need to be moved around to various shops for various processing and productive purposes, so pathways must be constructed to deliver those goods. In addition, each building must be supported by several houses for the workers to live in, and the closer they are to the building the better. The denizens of the kingdom don't mind being shuffled about, so they'll organize themselves according to what's most efficient. However they will not organize the paths they take to get places, which is the primary gameplay for the player - designing routes for each building and ensuring they don't overlap or cross too many times, causing traffic and disruptions to your income. Each choice the player makes is immediately reflected in the income calculation, thus allowing for the visual aspect of the game to be wholely separate from the economic side - in fact this is a common thread throughout all three aspects. Computation power is the ultimate enemy of scale, and this game flourishes with a massive scale. The gameplay for the military aspect consists of manipulating "lanes" that designate where each hero will adventure. These lanes are scalable to the player / AI's whims, with a careful balance required - too thin, and the heroes might not encounter enough monsters to level up. Too thick, and they may find themselves patrolling a vast wilderness full of dark and evil monsters. At the end of every lane is a "frontline", where progress has essentially been halted. These frontlines can develop as a result of meeting a foreign kingdoms front or finding a monster type or puzzle that is particularily difficult for your heroes to overcome. The lane / frontline can be scaled not just laterally, but linearly as well such that heroes will be a certain level when they reach the end - think scrolling on a mousewheel translating into deepening level zones. In addition, each monster zone can be set to a certain "security level" meaning how many monsters are there for your heroes to defeat. It's important that they have ample targets for training, however it's always more effective to train on monsters near their level so you have to be careful not to wipe out the native skeleton / goblin / troll population. Each monster zone can have a relationship with the kingdom, on a 2x2 matrix - cultivating / desecrating the land, and fostering / exterminating the monsters. The land produces monsters and treasures, while the monsters provide experience and danger to the heroes and kingdom denizens who live there. However by desecrating the land, farms may be built and by exterminating the monsters, those farms may be safe and require fewer guards. As ruler, you must balance the development of unique magical and alchemical productions with the need for food and other mundane requirements. Diplomacy is a careful balance of internal and external matters, played out through feasts, tournaments, and faires. Each of these events will require input from the economic side and military side, and will involve "courting" other nobles from neighboring kingdoms to sway them to supporting your edicts. When hosting an event, you may pick a particular topic of conversation for your nobles to discuss with their guests. You may also assign your nobles to attempt to engage with a particular foreign noble. Each member of your court has a differing personality (including you, the Majesty) and depending on how you assign them you may experience better or worse results - such as assigning someone who's kind to talk with someone who's cruel would impart a malus to their conversation. Unless the kind person has the trusting trait, in which case they'd succeed in this encounter but fall sway to them in future conversations... Complex interactions that all boil down to a single pair of d12 dice - one for your noble, one for the enemy. This represents the charisma of the two conversants on that particular day, and whoever wins the roll sways the other to supporting their edict. Speaking of edicts, they may include trade agreements, non-aggression pacts (lasting for a short time), and other regulations - perhaps your greatest rival utilizes necromancy, so it would behoove you to attempt to regulate the practice and limit it's effect. By swaying the nobles of their kingdom, you may be able to enact a mutual agreement to limit the usage of dark magics, essentially hamstringing their progress. But in order to learn of their necromantic usage, you'll need espionage... Which brings us to spies. Spies are similar to nobles in that they can be assigned to various roles, however they take a more passive role, acting in the background. The information they gather is compiled into a report that is presented at pertinent parts of the game, such as when preparing for a feast or inspecting an enemy frontline. These reports are considered the diplomatic deliverables, giving information and mechanical bonuses to many different parts of the game. They may be given three possible roles - information, defence, or offense. Offense involves placing cursed artifacts (creating through economy) in enemy lands, which debuff their heroes when used and bind themselves to them preventing their removal except through extraordinary means. Defence is essentially countering that in your own kingdom, and uncovering disloyalty in your nobles. These three aspects fit together like interlocking puzzle pieces, but each is able to be utilized or ignored depending on the preferences of the player. It is important that the game doesn't progress unless input is received. The simulation plays in the background, but each stage of development must be considered "stable" such that nothing changes. There are three different exceptions to this rule, one for each aspect: The military side encounters raids from enemy kingdoms and the dark lord. The economic side encounters raids from ratmen and moss trolls and bandits. The diplomatic side has a rolling schedule of events that must be attended. These three "exceptions" are recurrent events that require attention, but they don't *increase* in difficulty unless the player takes an action that causes it. Meaning, if the player overcomes the rock golems, then they are displaced from their home and join the dark lord in his conquests. If a new district is built new sewer connections must be built as well, creating a larger attack surface for ratmen to exploit. As time goes by, various foreign events must be attended, as absence causes your future events to attract fewer foreign nobles. By addressing these threats, your kingdom may grow and eventually overcome the dark lord at the center of the island. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧══════════════─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ --- #20 fediverse/2030 --- ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────── Building community without structure is kinda like being a quest-giving non-player character in World of Warcraft. I don't mean that you stand around waiting for a player to wander nearby before shouting at them to do what you want. Not like that. Building community without structure is more like meeting someone randomly, knowing them for longer than a bus ride or a baseball game, and once you've decided that they're cool saying "hey there's someone you might like to meet." If they're into it, then talk to the other person, and see if they want to make a new friend. Try not to recommend someone who has a lot on their mind. If they hit it off, great! If not, oh well! Worst case scenario the coffee shop only sells two drinks. If you're gregarious enough, after a while you might even have enough people for a potluck. Just don't forget to keep adding, and eventually it'll start to feel more communal. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧══════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────┘ |