As a datum-point, I don't MUD
right now, but only because it's so addictive and I'm not letting myself do so. (And life, thankfully, has a few other distractions).
One particular MUD (especially when life had far less distractions) took up most of my spare time. Great community (pretty much the worst part of the self-inforced separation), and though some people grind, I actually prefered skilling-up purely by the TM system (do something enough and the skill will raise, automagically). The world is massive, and although loads of other people had mapped everything before me (or had publicised the maps) I liked to go to extreme parts of the terrains, or poke around the various cities. Or (for example) go on an expedition to swim (as much as possible) all the way up one or other of the rivers. Sorry, going on a lot about it probably because of the cold-turkey.
Not that I'm out of displacement activities, having abandoned that. This forum is one of them. And while I'm micromanaging my Fortress almost to a stand-still, you ought to see what I've dug out in Minecraft. (And what I dug out before that in MC. And what I built before that. And the one before that, even. Not even a multiplayer map, nobody'll see the results of my efforts, save through screenshots
Anyway, regarding the recent discussion, I foresee more complex weapons as being totally procedurally-based. A limited number of sub-components connected in a limited (but exponentially large) number of ways, but only 'invoked' by a dwarf (one of the agents of the player's will, yes, but not under the
control of the player's will, or even deliberately invoked by command) in a mood-like way. An axe-head connected by a chain to the end of a long pole? Could arise. Its disadvantages (flexible chain reduces chance of "sharp" hit by axe-head and increases the chance of a 'slap' by the axe-side, for blunt, and being at the end of the pole reduces the speed of deployment in the first place) comes from each component used, much as the advantages (pole gives distance, chain gives entanglement). Whereas a stave-like component becomes equipped with a spear-head at one end and a mace-head at the other, then a choice of sharp or blunt attack is reflected in the weapon attack bonuses/chances (inexperience means 50/50 deployment, regardless of enemy, but after some gained experience with the weapon it is ensured that the chance effect lowers in favour of whatever
is the better attack for a given opponent (and/or for the given attack mode the enemy is attacked where most handily vulnerable), but it has not so much reach as a true spear, nor quite the same velocity as a true mace).
If that makes sense.
So no making a blaster with way too many powerpacks. But also the possibility that the signature fortress weapon that has arisen is actually less useful than the 'standard' arms. (Although there should be good bonuses, still, when expertise arises.) Arguably, inexperienced use of weapons (some?/all?/just the novel ones?) should bring with it a chance of self-injury. Perhaps as a function of the handle/components (nunchuk-like weapon with sharp blades on the ends, anyone?
).
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Topic: Advanced weapons systems. (Read 14866 times)