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Author Topic: Good scents.  (Read 2020 times)

Aquillion

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Good scents.
« on: May 05, 2009, 11:26:36 pm »

We have bad scents in the form of miasma.  I think that there should also be good scents, which evoke happy thoughts (and which can cover up miasma-scents to an extent, something that has been practiced for a long time in the real world.)

For instance:  Cooking.  Smelling good food cooking nearby should give dwarves a small happy thought, especially if it's a food they like.  Perhaps some foods and ingredients could be marked as "aromatic" and give stronger scents (onions or garlic, for instance.)  Some dwarves might like those foods "for their scent", which would make them like that smell even more.

This would also open the door to perfume, which was a major luxury item in the ancient world, and perhaps things like incense, which could eventually have additional roles in religion and magic.  The creation of perfume could possibly be another task for alchemists.
« Last Edit: May 06, 2009, 04:33:12 am by Aquillion »
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Derakon

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Re: Good scents.
« Reply #1 on: May 05, 2009, 11:50:20 pm »

You realize that doing this properly requires simulating airflow, right? And that Toady would never implement this improperly? :)

More CPU drains on the way!
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Time Kitten

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Re: Good scents.
« Reply #2 on: May 05, 2009, 11:51:52 pm »

Mist, Mist is already the polar opposite of miasma.
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Aquillion

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Re: Good scents.
« Reply #3 on: May 05, 2009, 11:53:07 pm »

You realize that doing this properly requires simulating airflow, right? And that Toady would never implement this improperly? :)
No more than miasma already does.
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Fossaman

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Re: Good scents.
« Reply #4 on: May 06, 2009, 12:22:18 am »

These would need to be transparent for gameplay purposes, though. I find nothing more obnoxious than trying to remember what's under the miasma that's obscuring that entire floor of my fortress from a single dead rat.

This could get very complicated, very fast. (that's a good thing) Scents would need to contain information about what they're made up of; a dwarf who loves plump helmets would like the smell of plump helmet roast more than one who prefers dwarven wheat flour. Certain production tasks should also create good smells; carpentry, especially with certain varieties of trees, such as cedar. Some dwarves might like the smell of certain types of rock dust because it reminds them of home/a relative/a happy memory or the like.

And if you're throwing perfume into the mix, you need to add in all sorts of additional herbs and plants. And musk extraction tasks for certain animal and vermin tasks. And maybe ambergris on ocean maps. And extracted from dead sperm whales.
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Pilsu

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Re: Good scents.
« Reply #5 on: May 06, 2009, 12:55:26 am »

The clouds needn't be visible at all. Like sound
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Jadael

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Re: Good scents.
« Reply #6 on: May 06, 2009, 03:27:13 am »

It doesn't even need to be a miasma-like flow. It could just be an event that triggers a happy thought if they're close enough to the source.

Like a 'good' sound!
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Fossaman

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Re: Good scents.
« Reply #7 on: May 06, 2009, 04:36:12 am »

Hmm...interesting idea. That seems like it would be the best way to do music and stuff too. Miasma-like flows would be more fun, though.
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varkarrus

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Re: Good scents.
« Reply #8 on: May 06, 2009, 07:41:59 am »

In response to the transparency, it should make all tiles in the miasma purple. Purple stone, purple dwarves, etc...
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Volfram

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Re: Good scents.
« Reply #9 on: May 06, 2009, 08:58:47 am »

In response to the transparency, it should make all tiles in the miasma purple. Purple stone, purple dwarves, etc...
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praguepride

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Re: Good scents.
« Reply #10 on: May 06, 2009, 02:25:19 pm »

What would a dwarf air freshener smell like?

I think it'd smell like iron :D
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Dame de la Licorne

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Re: Good scents.
« Reply #11 on: May 06, 2009, 09:49:18 pm »

What would a dwarf air freshener smell like?

I think it'd smell like iron :D

No.  Magma.
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Strife26

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Re: Good scents.
« Reply #12 on: May 06, 2009, 09:53:09 pm »

What would a dwarf air freshener smell like?

I think it'd smell like iron :D

No.  Magma.

Elves in Magma is the correct answer.
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BurnedToast

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Re: Good scents.
« Reply #13 on: May 07, 2009, 06:53:10 am »

What would a dwarf air freshener smell like?

I think it'd smell like iron :D

No.  Magma.

Elves in Magma is the correct answer.

Interestingly enough, Elves in Magma is also the correct answer to what a dwarf musical band sounds like.
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They Got Leader

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Re: Good scents.
« Reply #14 on: May 07, 2009, 06:49:49 pm »

Perfume and "good" sounds also open up the ability to play instruments. Maybe one of those pesants you got is actually a bard? They could play in meeting halls and make people happy, give them a happy thought.
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