8 replies to this topic

[Lotus Eater]

Would making an experience system now be possible, if you give out hearts that also slowly increase your heart container capacity?

Not sure if this is possible, it is just a thought.

Later,
Lotus

[Radien]

Well... I think you might be able to. But technically it isn't really an experience system... it's more of a mock EXP system, because enemies currently can't drop such items. The only way to give them is to place them on certain screens... which certainly gives you a lot more freedom with the life meter, but it isn't really experience.

...Actually, the easiest way to "fake" an experience system might be to use money. Limit the places where you can buy things (after each Triforce warp, perhaps?), and then make it so you can only buy items that upgrade the player character's various strengths: swords, life gauge increases, shields, magic gauge increases, the Slash ability, and so on.

Once the item editor becomes fully functional, you may be able to subdivide the strengths of swords and such, and the experience system idea could REALLY take off!

[ShadowTiger]

If/When we could attach scripts to items, I'd reckon that you could attach a script to every item you pick up that would give you not only the item, but would add a tally to a global counter. When the counter reaches a specific number, (Which would be multiplied by the previous number by a certain amount to simulate XP levels.) it would reset to zero and the max increase, and you'd level up. So each item you pick up would increase this counter by one.

Just a thought I had. Otherwise you'd have to base it by monster by monster, and I'm not sure if you can script a reaction from the killing of a monster yet, if ever. That'd be more of a room by room basis, rather than a global "If you kill something, determine the strength of that monster" thing. It's more of a "If you killed the enemies in this room," sort of thing.

[Radien]

Hmm... if THAT'S how scripting would handle it, it sounds like it would be impossible to gradually increase the amount of EXP you receive from killing enemies (/picking up items). In that case, you wouldn't be able to increase the EXP requirements too much, and the player could just go back and kill Oktoroks and end up levelling faster.

You might be able to avoid that by having multiple overworlds, however, and gradually increase the strength of the enemies that are encountered there...

...But then what would you do about old dungeons that can be returned to later?... Oh, this idea seems like a great big headache...

[Lotus Eater]

Actually, I was thinking about giving the hearts themselves an ability to increae experience, so that each heart you pick up adds a little to your exp, the main issue with this is buying hearts and finding them under bushes.

[Moresco]

Well, if you could reward an exp amount from killing a monster, then, you could define a limit to which they continue to reward you exp at all. So:

Octorok->dead = if lvl < 3 then exp = exp + 2 else quit

bleh...sort of would make sense.

for the other way, say special dropped blue hearts give xp. you'd have to be able to craft your own items, but you could theoretically if given the ability with a scripting language:

Octorok->dead = drop->blueheartXP1
you could still limit the lvls to award xp too, if you wanted.
and then you could make multiple blueheartXP values just by making tons of them:
blueheartXP1 = exp + 2.
blueheartXP2 = exp + 5....etc.

you could even just keep reusing the same little heart icon. or whatever you so desired.

Of course none of this available and to my knowledge isn't being made available. I think it should be though, script options like this == freedom.

Edited by Moresco, 19 December 2006 - 06:48 PM.

[Lotus Eater]

Actually I was thinking make each heart dropped worth 1/50 or so of a heart container, then as you got more Hearts you would gather up additional HC's.

[Moldorm]

Omg! I´d like to see someone pull this off.

Edited by Ray,leader of Two Guys, 21 December 2006 - 05:00 AM.

[Radien]

Actually, I was thinking about giving the hearts themselves an ability to increae experience, so that each heart you pick up adds a little to your exp, the main issue with this is buying hearts and finding them under bushes.

Hey, that could be a better solution than you might think.

The answer to those two problems? Easy: don't offer hearts in shops, and don't use bushes or other item-producing slashables. I'd consider that fair. Most RPGs don't have anything like that, anyway. And you can always use Fairy flags for inns and such, which would be quite in line.

Another idea: add an EXP property to all other items that can only be gained through enemy drops. If you know an enemy dropped it, then you know that the player should be receiving "EXP" for killing the enemy. (If items can only ever have one property, though, then please ignore this suggestion...)

If the enemy editor allows you to set item drop rates, then there could be no end of possibilities for this idea of yours. You could extend it to make an item that does nothing but award "EXP" (1/50th heart container or whatnot), and make every enemy drop it the majority of the time. And then you could make other items with varying amounts of "EXP," and cause the bosses to drop those.

Oh the possibilities... IF version 2.5 has an item drop editor. If not, well, back to plan A, I guess?...