4 replies to this topic

[Timelord]

I'm curious, although I think I know the answer, if items on a screen, via the Screen->items pointer, can be read in a for loop, assigning their location as any combo, and return a value such as DistanceLink.

 

I was considering including an 'examine; function that works with any item, including drops, so that a player can examine them, before taking them, tied to a global function that measures the distance between Link an an item, and other metrics, and gives a description of it, when the player executes the appropriate command. I know this is something normally done with FFCs, but I think it would be interesting to do with items, and even with enemies.

 

You want to know what an enemy is? Use the menus, when in proximity, and facing it, to get information; checking on the appropriate Lore skill. If your check is high enough, you'll get (basic information), (detailed information) or even (extended information, with weaknesses).

 

Is there any reason for which this wouldn't work?

 

Obviously, the global function will use Tango to present a message, based on the enemy/item number. (I assume these are mutually exclusive pointers that i can safely reference simultaneously.)

Edited by ZoriaRPG, 06 June 2014 - 04:33 AM.

[RetraRoyale]

You can iterate over all of the items like this:

item it;
for (int i = Screen->NumItems(); i >0 ; i--) {
  it = Screen->LoadItem(i);
  // Use these to get X and Y positions to compare to link:
  it->X;
  it->Y;
  // Use this to get the item ID if you want to use that to index the item info:
  it->ID;
}

I'm pretty sure you can do the same thing with enemies...

[Timelord]

Good, good. that's essentially what i expected. i just wasn't sure if ZC returned the item number with that pointer, as it does with enemies.

 

My reasoning here, is to allow the player to examine dropped items, especially as everything is so...customised. It will allow the player to figure out what they see, without needing to take it, if they don't want it 9due to limited carrying capacity).

 

You didn't say if your earlier reference meant that you read any of my printed RPG literature, but i an save that for a OM. I ask, because no-one here has ever mentioned it, and I don;t flog it, because I don;t expect much interest in P&P RPGs here. If you are interested, i can give you a complimentary copy of Snap!.

 

I'm planning to produce a revised edition of that game system later this year.

[RetraRoyale]

Are you wanting to just have a dedicated text line that always provides info on the nearest item? (Or like Navi in OoT, highlighting what you are looking at?)

 

I don't have much interest in P&P games, since I've been a programmer since forever, and if I'm going to design or use a formal system, I would prefer to encode it in a formal language. (I recently wrote a very nice beginning of a entity/effect processing system in Python, so I feel P&P is pretty much unnecessary these days.) I don't really enjoy the 'computation of the results of actions' in P&P play.

 

But I have looked through a lot of your ZoriaRPG system documentation. Don't remember where I gathered links to it... 

Edited by RetraRoyale, 06 June 2014 - 02:33 PM.

[Timelord]

Are you wanting to just have a dedicated text line that always provides info on the nearest item? (Or like Navi in OoT, highlighting what you are looking at?)

 

I don't have much interest in P&P games, since I've been a programmer since forever, and if I'm going to design or use a formal system, I would prefer to encode it in a formal language. (I recently wrote a very nice beginning of a entity/effect processing system in Python, so I feel P&P is pretty much unnecessary these days.) I don't really enjoy the 'computation of the results of actions' in P&P play.

 

But I have looked through a lot of your ZoriaRPG system documentation. Don't remember where I gathered links to it... 

 

You probably clicked a link on my profile, or something like that. I have published systems, WIP (unpublished, LTP) systems, published systems for which i was a contributing editor, and WIP systems for which i am a contributor, editor, contributing editor, or partner. i also have novels that I've been working on for years.

 

I'd've had those completed, and published by now, if other work didn't get in the way. The title, Legacy of Emperoros, ties into the two main novel series:

 

Legancy of Saeros, Legacy of The Saerosian Empire, Destiny of the Saerosan Empire, and Origins of the Saerosian Empire, Historiography of the Zorian Empire, etc..The game takes canon from these works, and weaves it into a playable game.

 

It takes place both in the Zorian Star Empire (spanning a galactic wall, with the centre on Merkano'vo'Talyxiux

, and the Saerosian Empire  (The TriSpiral galaxies). 'Hvylaxta, is a 'country' of courts, on Merkano'VoTalyxius, and the current overworld DMAP in the game, is a tiny portion of that country.

 

Technically, 'cluntry; is only the closest approximae definition. Regium, is another, The Saerosian Empure is very vast, and perhaps 'region; is a better term, as while each region has its own governing body, it;s all ruled over by the Zan-Zorani, a triad of alien rulers. Any resemblance to Zora species, is coincidental, and in name only: Zorians are cat-like creatures, with immense psychic powers, and the three spheres, represent the three main essences: The Physical, The mental, and the Spiritual; represented by the symbol Zorni, which is three circles in a triangular formation (orientation, unimportant, as each Zoraec symbol is uniquem and can be inscribed in any orientation, without confusion to any other symbol.

 

It means 'Greatest mind, or Powerful Mind', whereas Zhen, a single circle circumscribed in a triangle, means Wise/Exalted, and is the closest approximation to Sensei, master, or Doctor; whereas Zan, means ;'ruler' (generally denoting one of many) and Zanaz, is 'Emperor (always singular).

 

I'm also thinking of making a Zoraec tango font, for amusement. That will allow players to read un-translated text inscriptions, and use the 'Read' skill, to translate it. The idea here, is that if someone wants to lean the language (which is a working language), they will be able to read them inscriptions without translation; but as few will ever do thus the Read command translates it for them. (Zoraec is a highly symbolic language, and you can get the gist of anything, based on the symbols that comprise word-forms, because each symbol has its own meaning.)

 

------

 

Anyhow, no. The idea, is that when the player is in X distance of an item, without anything obstructing his path/line of sight (probably within 8 to 16 pixels), he can use the Look command, to evaluate what the item is, and make a lore check (at a penalty, based on distance) to determine if he can identify what it is/does. This is most useful for currency, or random drops, that the player will automatically take when touching them.

 

This is also useful to allow the player to determine the values of currency objects, scrolls, or other odd items never seen before. It's a way to teach the plyer the game, while playing the game, without intrusive tag-alongs pointing out every obvious detail. (I mean you, Fi!).

 

With enemies, you could check, using Lore skills, to reveal what the enemy is, and make other (more specific) skill checks, to gain more details, if desired.

 

Because all items take up space, you may not wan to to go out of your way to collect something; and if it;s an object that isn't familiar to the player (as most objects are int he game), it';s a way to determine that they do, before collecting them, and wondering, 'What did that do?'

 

If you ever want to read about the setting, that this game is using (Legacy of Emperors), I have a separate PDF for that.

 

My opinion on RPGs is the direct opposite: I prefer live storytelling, fully open worlds, and path directions not bound by a limited AI. I'm also fond of Fireside (Winter's) Tales, and bardic performances; but I'm a very old-fashioned man. I feel that P&P RPGs open up worlds of imagination, with no constraints. You aren;t locked into a story as dictated by one person, but rather, you make your own story. That;s why I'm trying to allow a lot of flexibility in story paths in LoE, because I want to find a way to replicate that kind of experience in a VG.

Edited by ZoriaRPG, 06 June 2014 - 03:19 PM.