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Roots wrote:We can make enemy sprite graphics which assume a treasure box form and sit and wait idly, but when the character comes to close it suddenly unfolds/uncamouflages itself and aggressively chases after the player.
Roots wrote:Another idea I thought of was when a new map is entered, we could have a little menu window centered at the top of the screen with the location name and graphic that displays for 3-5 seconds. Its a small thing, but I think it would be nice.
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In fact, don't some games always display the name of the location upon entering?
MindFlayer wrote:Good idea Roots. I think that just displaying plain text like "Entering [insert a place]" would suffice - no windows or any extra-bloat.
MindFlayer wrote:Also, I'd like to be able to create windows for displaying special textual events such as "This place feels like blah blah" to be able to give additional experience for the player; things that cannot be easily made with graphics or audio. (e.g. moods&emotions!). Let's call it InformationWindow or InformationDialog. Or how about MessageWindow?
ChopperDave wrote:On a completely different note, one thing we may want to start considering at this stage is how to implement a mini map when wandering around a dungeon. Then we can make dungeons more complex without people complaining of getting lost.
Roots wrote:MindFlayer wrote:How about the character popping up a self-dialogue saying "wow, it sure is hot here" or something? A random window of text explaining the context/feeling/mood of the location might be a little out of place.
Actually, way, way back in the beginning I wanted to have a feature like this where the game had a third person narrator that explained events/characters/emotions literary style every so often so that the game felt kind of like a book. But no one else at the time liked the idea so I let it get shot down.
What do you guys think?
Roots wrote:Thinking about my previous post, maybe we can expand even further on the use of the run stamina meter? Maybe it could instead be called an action stamina meter, and the amount of stamina you have determines what actions you can and can not do.
For example, we have:
#1) Using stamina for running
#2) Using stamina for "sonar" pulses to find treasures
#3) Using stamina for swing swords, shooting bows, etc. in maps that can temporarily stun any enemies that it hits.
Roots wrote:Although map mode isn't nearly as intricate as battle mode, there are a few suitable points for discussion and ideas to share and contemplate. Below are a list of some ideas that I've had for map mode in the recent weeks, as well as a mentioning of planned features that we have not yet implemented. And FYI: none of these features will be making it into the 0.2.0 demo, just so we're clear on that.
#1: Running and stamina
I think there definitely needs to be a run/walk option. But the question we need to address is: can the player continue to run continuously, or do they have a limited amount of stamina? I think that we should either add a stamina meter in one of the screen corners, or find some other way to restrict the player from always running (ie enemies spawn faster while running or something). Some random thoughts about this:
- player should be allowed infinite stamina in 'safe' areas such as towns, where no battle occur, but limited stamina everywhere else
- stamina regenerates slowly while walking, and faster when standing still
- stamina should be static throughout the game (higher experience levels do not increase stamina amount or regeneration rate on maps)
- no 'potions' or other typical means available for quickly restoring stamina
- perhaps that if you encounter an enemy with a low stamina, the enemy party has a head start on you (ie they get the first attack), meaning that its not always wise to keep the stamina bar continuously drained in dungeon maps
#2: Running animations
I know that its not wise to further burden our art department, but I really feel that eventually, all main playable characters (and perhaps some more distinguished NPCs) should have running animations. The "turbo walking" just doesn't cut it.
#3: New dialogue icons
Refresher: all NPCs that have dialogue that the player has not yet read will have a small little icon appear above their head that indicates they have something new to say. This eliminates the need for constantly querying NPCs to see if they have any new information.
#4: Weapon use in puzzles
If you've ever played Lufia II, you'll know what I mean. Basically, you have different weapons available to you to try and solve puzzles. Swords can slash down brush and vines blocking your way. Arrows can hit distant targets to trigger switches. Fire arrows burn all that cross their path, etc.
I was thinking we could do something similar, only the weapon that is used depends on the active character sprite on the screen (which can be cycled through by pressing the swap key or something). So when Claudius is showing, he swings his sword. When Laila is showing, she can shoot arrows, etc.
#5: Weapon use against map enemies
Perhaps weapons can also be used to avoid encounters with enemies on the map. Maybe a sword slash will stun the foe that it hits for a second to allow the player to run away. Or maybe it allows the player to then encounter the enemy and give them first strike in battle or something.
If we do something like this, we'll have to have a limiter on how many times weapons can be used on maps (ie, only once every 2 seconds). Otherwise, the player can abuse the ability to make it through a dungeon without a single encounter.
I think that's a good list for starters. Basically, I want map exploration to be more than walking around and talking to people. I want the environment to be more interactive and "fun", because I find random dungeon crawling in most RPGs to be a bore.
