Changes for the Next Dungeon?

[Danny]

Poli, I would be alright with that, but some things would need to be changed then. Warriors had to have the constant supply of healing potions.

[Poli]

I think I'd like to see more movement phases as well. Early on as I went from empty room to empty room it felt like I was in quicksand. I was stuck for an entire day in a room that wasn't going to yield any results for me.

Perhaps if you come upon an empty room you can have an option to look through it or move on...up to once a day. I think I hit a streak of 5 rooms with nothing in them at one point.

[Poli]

Originally Posted by Danny

Poli, I would be alright with that, but some things would need to be changed then. Warriors had to have the constant supply of healing potions.

I think the trick there would be you'd be better equipped going in as well. I lugged around about a dozen potions myself knowing that I need them desperately.

Buy enough before you go...or find some more.

Otherwise, have a halftime djinni show when the game has reached it's halfway point offering to resupply.

Seriously, though, we could have locations spread out as refitting stations.

[chesapeake]

You have to have the black market; otherwise, you greatly increase the role of luck in the game. I, for example, didn't come across a wand until 19 days into the game. Without a market of some kind to access other people's loot, I would still be on the second level.

I agree that the first-come first-serve nature of the djinni market gave a huge advantage to folks that could be online at 5:20 PM Eastern on market days. A couple days that was me. Mostly, it was not. I never was able to buy a horsey -- even when there were a bunch for sale.

[Poli]

That's where I'd be for buying your wand with a set amount of gold beforehand. Having refit stations or refit 'time outs' at set points in the game...say day x or what is presumed to be the 1/4 or 1/2 way points of the game.

[chesapeake]

Originally Posted by Poli

I think I'd like to see more movement phases as well. Early on as I went from empty room to empty room it felt like I was in quicksand. I was stuck for an entire day in a room that wasn't going to yield any results for me.

Perhaps if you come upon an empty room you can have an option to look through it or move on...up to once a day. I think I hit a streak of 5 rooms with nothing in them at one point.

I agree -- the game needs more actions if we are confined to one movement a day. Maybe something class-specific that gives short-term bonuses -- a cleric spending an action in prayer provides a spell bonus for the next day; a mage studying provides the same. Training provides one time help for fighters. Scouts can practice to get a 1 day boost in their lockpicking, ambushing, whatever.

With enough different actions, the game would have a whole new tactical element. Do I train to get a bonus in combat as I move to darker bricks or do I search the room on the off chance that I find a secret door or treasure?

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by chesapeake

I agree -- the game needs more actions if we are confined to one movement a day. Maybe something class-specific that gives short-term bonuses -- a cleric spending an action in prayer provides a spell bonus for the next day; a mage studying provides the same. Training provides one time help for fighters. Scouts can practice to get a 1 day boost in their lockpicking, ambushing, whatever.

With enough different actions, the game would have a whole new tactical element. Do I train to get a bonus in combat as I move to darker bricks or do I search the room on the off chance that I find a secret door or treasure?

That' sinteresting to me.

[Abe Sargent]

What about this as a PVP machanic:

You can PvP in dungeon level 2 and deeper if you take an action.

If/when a player is defeate,d instead of dying, they are sent back to their starting room. The winner gets XP, half of your gold and perhaps one item you have of their choice.

Then, PvP is a threat, not a damnation. Additionally, since you would be unable to attack while in dungeon level one everybody would have to consciously move forward to the next level knowing they can attack and be attacked. It also keeps playing who respawned at their starting point from being attacked straight away again.

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by Abe Sargent

What about this as a PVP machanic:

You can PvP in dungeon level 2 and deeper if you take an action.

If/when a player is defeate,d instead of dying, they are sent back to their starting room. The winner gets XP, half of your gold and perhaps one item you have of their choice.

Then, PvP is a threat, not a damnation. Additionally, since you would be unable to attack while in dungeon level one everybody would have to consciously move forward to the next level knowing they can attack and be attacked. It also keeps playing who respawned at their starting point from being attacked straight away again.

Or you could take ganking completely out of it. Both players have to submit a PvP action. If only 1 player does no PvP takes place. However it is a fight to the death. This way no one can be ganked, and they both know the risks going into the fight. Just a thought.

[Thomkal]

I like that Abe, gives everyone a chance to gain a couple levels before facing the threat of PvP. Keeps the player in the game for blood feuds rather than just killing him. In thnking about it, I wondered if you allowed PvP deaths in the game, that you may not have five people left to reach lvl 10.

I think with Dubb's suggestion you will see little PvP-because we all want to stay in the game as long as possible because its so much fun.

[hoopsguy]

If you go the route that Abe discusses then it will likely eliminate in-thread communications about the map. No one will want to put a target on their back for a player attack.

Well, I'm pretty sure that is how I would play it. If I didn't flat out lie about where I was and what actions I was taking.

[Danny]

Originally Posted by hoopsguy

If you go the route that Abe discusses then it will likely eliminate in-thread communications about the map. No one will want to put a target on their back for a player attack.

Well, I'm pretty sure that is how I would play it. If I didn't flat out lie about where I was and what actions I was taking.

Unless you were allowed to form alliances with players under which no PVP could be made by any player in the alliance. Then you have the question of communicating to your alliance while also those outside seeing what you wrote. Then at least it might be some cost vs. benefit thing as opposed to all cost.

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

I like that Abe, gives everyone a chance to gain a couple levels before facing the threat of PvP. Keeps the player in the game for blood feuds rather than just killing him. In thnking about it, I wondered if you allowed PvP deaths in the game, that you may not have five people left to reach lvl 10.

I think with Dubb's suggestion you will see little PvP-because we all want to stay in the game as long as possible because its so much fun.

I think with Abe's idea for PvP the game will go on forever. And on top of that, who really wants to backtrack from level one back to level 4 just because some asshole decided to gank them. I would MUCH rather be dead than spend a week or two accomplishing nothing. My suggestion, yes will see little PvP, but it is there if needed. The winner would get XP and the losers items, and the loser wouldn't be wasting a couple of weeks because they were ganked. Think about it, imagine this game if every time two people were in the same room one had to go back to start. You think it would still be going on? And do you think the people who had to do the backtracking would have had the same good experience? It sounds like a pain to me to do all that backtracking.

[Danny]

Get rid of backtracking, just allow one person to steal another's persons XP.

[Danny]

XP/Gold/Items that is.

[chesapeake]

Originally Posted by dubb93

I think with Abe's idea for PvP the game will go on forever. And on top of that, who really wants to backtrack from level one back to level 4 just because some asshole decided to gank them.

I think this is a fair point. Given the last dungeon as the model, a death on level 2 would cost you 2 days and level 3 3 to 4. That is a pretty heavy punishment. Maybe the loser just suffers a 1 day movement penalty? Or a vortex move for the loser to a random spot one level back?

[Qwikshot]

What's wrong with something going on forever I'll be there will my spells in tow.

[Autumn]

I obviously didn't play the game, but I've been reading through it some. It seems to me from the outside that a fun tweak would be to add another layer to the game of conflicting goals and intrigue. Bring a little more Werewolf into it, basically. Make it advantageous to work in groups, but also make more competition in the goals. The players should have to balance between advancing faster by working with others, versus not wanting to give any a step up to win. You might see some interesting sort of Survivor type alliances.

Having a little more competition between players would make the thread more interesting as there would be reasons not to divulge information necessarily. However, there should be some benefit to doing so to encourage people to debate between trying to pass clues on to their team mates versus keeping people in the dark. Things like requiring material components to make items would add to the intrigue.

The idea of having a storyline, or personal goals would go along well with this, as well as having clues and such in the dungeon. Perhaps have a minor victory of reaching level 10 but a major victory of being the sole winner, somehow. If there is an overall goal that will close out the game people will have to worry about time pressure as well, which might make it interesting.