Interview at RPG Vault - second part

[Satange]

A thread for your comments concerning the scond part of the interview at RPG Vault (interview is here (http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/495/495727p1.html)).

[Roo]

QUOTE= David Dougher][Players initiate conversations by clicking on the character they wish to talk to. For NPCs, this will open a question and answer-type dialogue box. For players, a chat windows system will be used[/QUOTE]

Hmm, am I alone in thinking this sounds more than a little woeful to use? Am I right in thinking if you have to click on someone to initiate a chat interface, that will exclude all other people in the immediate area? If so this one feature will cripple this RPG. I hope David just explained the interface badly, and it will be possible to get input for all in your immediate area (in a room in a house for example, also in several other rooms inside that house, and to a limited extent (a shout) for outside the house.

I also hope the interface allows for emits, pemits etc... to allow for advanced rolepay.

In-game support in the form of guild halls is available but not much more. It is up to the players to realistically role-play this aspect of the game.

It would probably also be benifitial to add some kind of flexible guild tooling for example a simple rank structure and maybe something for subscripions?

[[HB]Yama]

I don't think I explained the interface badly, I think I might not have explained it to the depth that you were expecting. Sorry about that.

Without going into a lot of detail, the reason I indicated that you would click on a person was that it makes the user interface consistent.

If you click on a shopkeeper you are indicating you want to talk to a shopkeeper. If you click on a person nearby, you are indicating you want to talk to that person. Depending on the distance that person is away from you when you deliver your message, you may be talking in a conversational tone heard by those nearby, talking quietly to someone next to you, or shouting across the room - in which case many will hear your words.

There will also be the ability to shout - for example - to shout out orders, or cry out for help, and to whisper specifically to someone nearby.

Hope that helps a bit.

[Teila]

Yama']I don't think I explained the interface badly, I think I might not have explained it to the depth that you were expecting. Sorry about that.

Without going into a lot of detail, the reason I indicated that you would click on a person was that it makes the user interface consistent.

If you click on a shopkeeper you are indicating you want to talk to a shopkeeper. If you click on a person nearby, you are indicating you want to talk to that person. Depending on the distance that person is away from you when you deliver your message, you may be talking in a conversational tone heard by those nearby, talking quietly to someone next to you, or shouting across the room - in which case many will hear your words.

There will also be the ability to shout - for example - to shout out orders, or cry out for help, and to whisper specifically to someone nearby.

Hope that helps a bit.


You can still talk to others in the room without clicking on each of them but you will have to click on someone in the room. People on the far edges of the room, if its a large room, might not hear you. I think this will be much better than the system in SWG, for example, where you are spammed by talk going on outside a cantina.

[Naugil]

She becomes a highly skilled cook, turning out dishes that no other cook for miles around can produce.

Is there any reason, other than role-playing, for people to actually want or need theese high quality dishes? If not, then I guess I've to accept that this is the way AD will work.

She takes part in local plays and festivals, brings up her children and dies in old age, leaving her inn to her heirs - after death taxes of course! She then becomes the heir and continues in the game.

I take that the dieing of 'old age' is not to be taken literally but more as a role-play thing. Since you must play the game for 20 real years to be over 60 game years old in adellion, real aging cant be an issue.

[Teila]

Is there any reason, other than role-playing, for people to actually want or need theese high quality dishes? If not, then I guess I've to accept that this is the way AD will work.

Cooked dishes will have more nutritional value...although the exact details are not available yet.


I take that the dieing of 'old age' is not to be taken literally but more as a role-play thing. Since you must play the game for 20 real years to be over 60 game years old in adellion, real aging cant be an issue.

At this time, aging is not coded into Adellion. Remember though, that old age came much earlier in medieval times than today and people died much younger.

[Roo]

Yama']I don't think I explained the interface badly, I think I might not have explained it to the depth that you were expecting. Sorry about that.

Without going into a lot of detail, the reason I indicated that you would click on a person was that it makes the user interface consistent.

If you click on a shopkeeper you are indicating you want to talk to a shopkeeper. If you click on a person nearby, you are indicating you want to talk to that person. Depending on the distance that person is away from you when you deliver your message, you may be talking in a conversational tone heard by those nearby, talking quietly to someone next to you, or shouting across the room - in which case many will hear your words.

There will also be the ability to shout - for example - to shout out orders, or cry out for help, and to whisper specifically to someone nearby.

Hope that helps a bit.

I'm sorry David interview replys need to be short and concise. I didn't take that into account. I guess my first thoughts were you would be clicking on a person to open a chat window with that person, to the exclusion of everyone else in earshot (whispering, talking normally or shouting just being range changers in the main).

Though I still cant see the significance of needing to click on the intended person. Normally we just state a name, or title to alert someone we are talking to them..this would be heard by everyone in the range of normal talk. With clicking to open a chat window, would your words to the intended then open windows for everyone else in the room because they can hear it?

I guess not knowing the interface restricts me in seeing how it makes the interface consistent. Is there a chat box normally visible on the bottom of the screen? Or does it pop up when you click on an intended target for your conversation? When you talk to someone does your conversation appear in others conversation windows as well as their own conversations?

Is it just me finding the concept hard to grasp?

Anyway I guess it is not prudent for you to unveil the interface at thiss stage of development for many reasons...So we will just have to wait and see.

Thanks for the reply David, we appreciate the info..... I think :)

[Roo]

You can still talk to others in the room without clicking on each of them but you will have to click on someone in the room. People on the far edges of the room, if its a large room, might not hear you. I think this will be much better than the system in SWG, for example, where you are spammed by talk going on outside a cantina.

Ahh! thats a leap forward in design..realistic distances for speech to carry..Marvelous! :)

[Woland]

About the bandit scenario - there seem to be a lot of assumptions here.

For example

PC and NPC soldiers are in pursuit, but turn back at the border. But the citizens of the Bloodlands aren't too keen on bandits and take up the chase.

Perhaps... but it might turn very different. I understand guards in Adellion are not terminator like killing machines of the other games, and player guards are equal to bandits by definition. So it is quite possible that bandits make a stand, beat the hell out of guards, grab all the nice equipment, head to Bloodlands where predominantly lawless locals are always glad to welcome likeminded people (such as our bandit group) especially if they are bringing good loot with them... :)

So when the player guard wakes up in the Hospital on his "last life" after been killed by bandit, he starts to think - maybe I should take up banditry as well... I'll do essentially same thing, run similar risks but it will be more profitable. :D

Jokes aside though, I've head reasoning like that before and heard scenarios like the one in the interview before... So far it didn't work, so I have my doubts, but on the other hand from what I know about the game - Adellion is the first MMORPG that actually might make it work. We shall see.

*********************************

I also find the concept of mostly “law abiding” game intriguing, I always felt that games should be like that except that laws shouldn't be enforced by PvP switches and such, but by robust and efficient in-game justice system (shared between player and NPC). This seems to be exactly where Adellion is heading to.

But it brings up few questions:
1. I am not sure what happens if the bandit dies for the 1st and 2nd time. As mentioned in the interview once reported bandit will be on the NPC and PC guards' "hit list". So what happens when bandit leaves Hospital? First thing he sees is an NPC guard and wham!!!... one life less?
Or does near death experience clean up criminal record? In the first case it might mean we will end up with no antagonists around, plus it is harder to redeem oneself if no one is giving you a chance. In the second case it is a bit unrealistic, also while it is easy to make NPCs to forgive PC might not be so merciful and might just wait right outside of Hand of Mercy. :)
2. What mechanisms is Adellion planning to have to insure that justice is indeed justice? Can player come to sheriff and falsely accuse anther player? Can falsely accused redeem his good name? If NPC guard watches a fight in the street is he capable of distinguishing between assault and self-defense? Are there a mitigating circumstances, for instance will some cultures consider "blood vengeance" legal? or at least take it into account to produce 3 years imprisonment verdict rather then death penalty? And so on...

******************************


but if an item exceeds the weight requirement of the backpack, is too large to fit or there are already eight items present, it cannot be placed in the pack

From a pure logic perspective that leave open a question of what happens if item does not exceed the weight requirement of the backpack, isn’t too large to fit in it, and backpack only has 7 items in it so far.

So I just want to clear this up. When we talking about volume and weight, we are talking about total volume and weight of items in the container, right? I mean it isn't really whether item can fit into the container, but rather if item can fit into the leftover volume of the container that already has 3 items in it, right?

[VenomByte]

At this time, aging is not coded into Adellion. Remember though, that old age came much earlier in medieval times than today and people died much younger.

Although mostly due to illness and infection rather than 'old age' as such.

If aging were added to Adellion, it would be nice to see this reflected somehow... characters becoming incresasingly vulnerable to disease as they get older, and increasingly unlikely to recover.

Now if this were also linked to some concept of general 'health' - such as physical condition and diet, then you'd have a VERY good reason for people to eat expensive and well-prepared dishes.

After all, there are very good reasons the nobility lived longer than the working classes. It wasn't just down to the medical care they could afford.

[Sweetwater]

It seems that now with this second interview many are now coming to see for themselves what this game is all about. I have noticed a LARGE number of guests coming to see what all the hub-bub is all about. Hopefully we will see some more new faces join in our discussions here. Just tonight at this time I saw 21 guests lurking about, hee hee.

*hands out cookies to the guests

http://sweetwater42.homestead.com/files/cookiebowl.gif

[Teila]

But it brings up few questions:
1. I am not sure what happens if the bandit dies for the 1st and 2nd time. As mentioned in the interview once reported bandit will be on the NPC and PC guards' "hit list". So what happens when bandit leaves Hospital? First thing he sees is an NPC guard and wham!!!... one life less?

Very good question! I don't like wiping the slate clean after a near-death....doesn't seem very realistic. If the bandit has a near-death, it very likely means he hasn't given up his life of crime. :)

Why couldn't the bandit use his disguise skill to get out of town? One other thing to consider....the bandit will be transported to his cultural hospital...located..at least in the beginning..in the cultural town capital. So if he is Dalmite and 'dies' then he wakes up in the hospital in Tilitha. So...he would be very smart not to steal or rob in Tililtha and not anger the town leaders of Tilitha. If we add hospitals in other pre-created or player towns, which we probably will do eventually, then the player could choose his hometown..or where he would like to be taken in the advent of injuries. So, he would probably make sure he is on good terms with the town leader and the guards in that town. Seems rather realistic to me, huh? He could also probably select a town hospital in the Bloodlands or Caeril if he wishes to do so...but again, he better not upset the town leaders or guards.

I am inclined not to make it easy for a bandit to destroy his reputation in his a town and then be allowed to walk out of the hospital to the gates free and easy. If one chooses a life of crime, should it not be a risky life? Since there are options here...I don't think its really an issue.

As for the inventory question...its volume and weight. So if you have 7 items in your backpack with only 8 slots, and you want to put another item into the backpack, then it must not put the backpack over the weight and space limit set for the entire backpack. So, even if you have one slot free, if the item is too big or weighs too much, you won't be able to put it in the backpack.

[Woland]

Why couldn't the bandit use his disguise skill to get out of town?

Well average highwayman is not a master of disguise and so on... Basically I am again warried will end up in the way too "law abiding" society, where my "cop" character'll have nothing to do. ;)

Seriously though I guess it will all come down to balancing, how risky life of crime is vs lhow rewarding it is. Perhaps that Bloodland Hospital can solve the problem after all it will be kinda realistic (strong law in the major cities vs mostly lawless wilderness and Bloodlands)


As for the inventory question...its volume and weight. So if you have 7 items in your backpack with only 8 slots, and you want to put another item into the backpack, then it must not put the backpack over the weight and space limit set for the entire backpack. So, even if you have one slot free, if the item is too big or weighs too much, you won't be able to put it in the backpack.

Sorry the response is a bit confusing... I think I understand what you say but let me double-check.
First of all I am not sure how realistic or complex is the system... does it consider volume like cubic santimiters for items, or actual measurments - spear won't fit because it over the length limit (even though volume of it is rather small)... both volume and mesurments... So let me in the example just say volume units.

So for example I have a backpack that can fit 30 volume units, 60 pounds of weight and has 6 slots. Now I already have one item in it that takes 1 slot, 15 lbs, and 10 volume units. I want to put in item B that takes 25 volume units and 10 lbs. 25 does fit in 30, but as 10 of it is already occupied I am out of space and will not be able to store item B in the back pack. Right?

***
BTW, why not represent the volume and measurments by the ammount of slots item takes? So if spear is "1 slot wide and 9 slots long" it will not fit into 4x4 backpack.

[Teila]

So for example I have a backpack that can fit 30 volume units, 60 pounds of weight and has 6 slots. Now I already have one item in it that takes 1 slot, 15 lbs, and 10 volume units. I want to put in item B that takes 25 volume units and 10 lbs. 25 does fit in 30, but as 10 of it is already occupied I am out of space and will not be able to store item B in the back pack. Right?

***
BTW, why not represent the volume and measurments by the ammount of slots item takes? So if spear is "1 slot wide and 9 slots long" it will not fit into 4x4 backpack.

Please repost this where it belongs. I am as guilty of any of hijacking threads but lets try to all do better. If you post it where it belongs, I will respond. Unfortunately, I don't have the power to move it or I would.

[Woland]

Please repost this where it belongs. I am as guilty of any of hijacking threads but lets try to all do better. If you post it where it belongs, I will respond. Unfortunately, I don't have the power to move it or I would.

Huh? I am sorry... a bit confused...

The interview did discuss inventory, and we were asked to comment on the interview. So I asked a question about inventory explanation as it appeared in the interview. You responded and tried to clarify the issue...

Where is hijacking?

And sorry your clarification is still confusing... so I decided to double check. We are still discussing interviews explanation of inventory... Which would be the right place for it? :confused:

Finally if you mean my comment about using slots as "size units"... hmmm I guess I could repost in the "ideas". Is that what you mean?

[Teila]

Huh? I am sorry... a bit confused...

The interview did discuss inventory, and we were asked to comment on the interview. So I asked a question about inventory explanation as it appeared in the interview. You responded and tried to clarify the issue...

Where is hijacking?

And sorry your clarification is still confusing... so I decided to double check. We are still discussing interviews explanation of inventory... Which would be the right place for it? :confused:

Finally if you mean my comment about using slots as "size units"... hmmm I guess I could repost in the "ideas". Is that what you mean?

The discussion is on the interview. You could easily start a new thread on inventory. I was not accusing YOU of hijacking this particular thread, just that I thought it best we all try not to do so in the future. So...repost the thread and I will answer you.

I am trying to help the best I can in answering questions. If we can keep them organized so other players can find the info without digging through threads with titles having nothing to do with the questions, I end up answering the same things over and over again. I am willing to put in a great deal of time here but why not make my life and that of the new folks who are searching for information a bit easier.

Yes, repost in ideas. :) Or in better yet, in General since its a question, not a new idea. Thank you for your cooperation, Woland. :)