Spell based transport as alt to loot haul
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I was going to post a topic asking how to tackle this problem but in thinking and typing I realized the solution I thought of is perfectly good and I will likely use it. Here I would like to present it and ask for your opinions.
In most RPGs you are faced with piles of loot to move and sell. Its a grind to collect it all, go to the nearest town, sell, and sometimes go back for another load. I don't like this, but in such games it is usually needed to make enough money to buy the things you want to have in the game. In my game I intend on making loot minimal and immediately usable. For things like weapons and armour you go collect crafting materials and craft them. I believe crafting such items will be for more enjoyable as a route to having those items you want than grinding loot pile to make the money to buy it.
Getting to my point though, I realized that there would still be items that would need hauling and I didn't want to force the player to make return trips to drop off items (such as large crafting materials) but with a swamp for a setting, I couldn't just have an easy pack animal following along to haul it for me. What I just came up with though is simply allowing the player to have a glyph spell that is cast on an item and the item is then transported to the destination set. For sparse usage (not 3 items on every body but more like rare large finds) how does this sound for a solution to moving items for the player back to base camp without the player having to walk back himself?
Quote:Original post by JasRonq
I In my game I intend on making loot minimal and immediately usable. For things like weapons and armour you go collect crafting materials and craft them. I believe crafting such items will be for more enjoyable as a route to having those items you want than grinding loot pile to make the money to buy it.
Wouldn't this just cause me to be grinding to get the correct materials to craft that item that I wanted and be picking up a whole heap of materials that only get me items I don't want or already have?
Quote:Original post by JasRonq
What I just came up with though is simply allowing the player to have a glyph spell that is cast on an item and the item is then transported to the destination set. For sparse usage (not 3 items on every body but more like rare large finds) how does this sound for a solution to moving items for the player back to base camp without the player having to walk back himself?
If I have this ability why shouldn't I beable to send any item I want back and also won't I just have to wonder back when I want the item again anyway, so shouldn't I beable to summon the item back aswell? But then if I can do this why not just have an unlimited inventory?
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Quote:Original post by Dragoncar
Wouldn't this just cause me to be grinding to get the correct materials to craft that item that I wanted and be picking up a whole heap of materials that only get me items I don't want or already have?
This doesn't even make sense. To address the question as stated though; you wouldn't grind for materials to make items you don't want. Second, who said that getting materials was a lengthy grind? I intend and that sort of thing to be a massive one of find which is why this system is even in place! Imagine instead of collecting 43 whatever, you go out on a quest to find the big one, fight your way to it, claim it, and transport it back.
Quote:Original post by DragoncarIf I have this ability why shouldn't I beable to send any item I want back and also won't I just have to wonder back when I want the item again anyway, so shouldn't I beable to summon the item back aswell? But then if I can do this why not just have an unlimited inventory?
The items you send back are not of general use, they are items with specific purposes outside of common need. I am trying to avoid huge, bloated inventories, and piles of items all over the place.
Quote:
What I just came up with though is simply allowing the player to have a glyph spell that is cast on an item and the item is then transported to the destination set. For sparse usage (not 3 items on every body but more like rare large finds) how does this sound for a solution to moving items for the player back to base camp without the player having to walk back himself?
I can't really see the difference to additional inventory space ? You don't said what your inventory is about ? Items have different weights ? Items need more than one inventory slot ? Items can be stacked ?
Why not add some special inventory space, like magic bags which reduce the weight to 0.
Quote:
Getting to my point though, I realized that there would still be items that would need hauling and I didn't want to force the player to make return trips to drop off items (such as large crafting materials) but with a swamp for a setting, I couldn't just have an easy pack animal following along to haul it for me.
If your game plays in a fantasy world, a pack animal must not be a donkey. A fantasy creature, like the flying transport creatures in morrowind, could be a solution.
To be honest, inventory management can be a great gameplay feature, if done right. I love to earn my first bigger bags or to start crafting better bags. Pack animals would be a great enhancement to any rpg game. I like it to carry a wagonload full of treasure out of a dungeon and sell it, that's fun for me.
But be careful, a modern inventory system should provide sort and filter functions to support an easier management.
Torchlight (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torchlight) implements a companion which doubles as a way to sell your unwanted items while in the depths of the caves.
During normal play, the companion can be used in combat. When your inventory gets full, you can send the pet back to the surface with the items you want rid of and he returns shortly after with the profit. He's unavailable for combat during that time. Works quite well.
During normal play, the companion can be used in combat. When your inventory gets full, you can send the pet back to the surface with the items you want rid of and he returns shortly after with the profit. He's unavailable for combat during that time. Works quite well.
Quote:Original post by Kenny C
Torchlight (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torchlight) implements a companion which doubles as a way to sell your unwanted items while in the depths of the caves.
During normal play, the companion can be used in combat. When your inventory gets full, you can send the pet back to the surface with the items you want rid of and he returns shortly after with the profit. He's unavailable for combat during that time. Works quite well.
Along these same lines, a summonable familiar could fill a basically identical role for a caster character.
The (Argent Tournament) Squire in WoW that can be made to run errands for you might also be a feature that could be implemented in other settings.
Another option for handling generic loot excess that I've seen is a djinni vendor you can carry with you in his lamp.
How about infinite storage space that can be access anywhere?
Have the character limited to using items they are "equip," but they have infinite storage space. "Equip" items are items that can be instantly used in battle mode, while storage items cannot be use in battle mode. This way, the player have to decide within limitation of which items they can bring to battle mode. Items should have both weight criteria and size criteria to limit the player from bringing unreasonable quantities of items into battle mode. All other items will stay with the infinite storage space that can be access outside of battle mode.
Of course, this does not work well with some mainstream MMORPG because they don't have a distinct separation between the virtual world from battle modes (you usually don't switch to a lock screen) because there is no over-world.
"When a game force a player to think, players will complain because they cannot think." --Platinum_Dragon
Have the character limited to using items they are "equip," but they have infinite storage space. "Equip" items are items that can be instantly used in battle mode, while storage items cannot be use in battle mode. This way, the player have to decide within limitation of which items they can bring to battle mode. Items should have both weight criteria and size criteria to limit the player from bringing unreasonable quantities of items into battle mode. All other items will stay with the infinite storage space that can be access outside of battle mode.
Of course, this does not work well with some mainstream MMORPG because they don't have a distinct separation between the virtual world from battle modes (you usually don't switch to a lock screen) because there is no over-world.
"When a game force a player to think, players will complain because they cannot think." --Platinum_Dragon
Returning to town regularly is psychologically important in giving the player the impression that the culture and civilization of the game are real and the player lives within them. Returning to town can also be a nice psychological rest - no one wants to just fight and fight and fight. Aren't you intending to have crafting be done in town?
If you're worried about the annoyance of forcing players to return to town too often, wither give them the ability to teleport there or give them a nice big inventory, problem solved.
If you're worried about the annoyance of forcing players to return to town too often, wither give them the ability to teleport there or give them a nice big inventory, problem solved.
Quote:Original post by JasRonq
Imagine instead of collecting 43 whatever, you go out on a quest to find the big one, fight your way to it, claim it, and transport it back.
And what then? Is that it? Straight to the one big score of the game.
That sounds like you've just cut out most of an RPG. So instead of starting small and working your way up you aim to just present the player with a boss and a massive loot score.
The best bit of RPG's is starting with no cash and rubbish weapons and working your way toward better one's. Rather than trying to eliminate the 'grind' you need to find a way to make it interesting.
Quote:Original post by sunandshadow
If you're worried about the annoyance of forcing players to return to town too often, wither give them the ability to teleport there or give them a nice big inventory, problem solved.
Or here is a radical idea:
Do away with the desire to "Loot and dump".
Think about it. Is your character a great warrior? Or some battle field scavenger?
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