[Ddmodd-developers] development update!

[<ddm...@li...>]

Hey guys! I've just had this choice, neato idea! A new 'quest engine' I've 
named Smaug is currently being developed. With Smaug there are two different 
types of experience. The main type is 'general', if you have completed a 
quest, you will get 'general' quest points. General quest points serve as 
they do in most RPGs, your fighting ability goes up, and you can choose to 
give a 'point' to a certain skill, but then there is 'specific' exp. Your 
character now has different abilities, such as fishing, thieving and 
bartering (yes, bartering, it means you get items cheaper at stores), 
specific exp helps you to concentrate on one or two of the skills that you 
want to exel in(there will be more abilities in the finished version).

        Specific exp can be gained in two ways. One, you can actualy do the 
skill, for example, if you fish, you will gain exp. You will stop gaining 
exp for actually doing the skill at a ceartian point (this prevents people 
spending ages and ages getting all of the skills to a high level, the aim is 
that people have to concentrate on only a few abilities). Now, the other way 
to level up your abilities is to use them to help you finish quests. For 
example, Billy is stuck down a hole and wants you to get him some fish, now 
you could either go fishing and get some, buy some, or steal some. If you 
choose to fish, you recieve 'fish tpye 1', if you buy it, you recieve 'fish 
type 2', and if you steal it, you recieve 'fish type 3'. Now, heres the 
cunning part, the all apear to be exactly the same to the player, same name, 
same graphic ect. If you give Billy 'fish type 1', you recieve fishing exp, 
if you give him 'fish type 2' you get some barter exp, and thieving exp for 
'fish type 3'.

        For most quests, you will be able to use any ability to complete it, 
so you can't have a usless abiliy you specialized in. This will add puzzle 
solving content, as players will have to think of interesting ways to use 
their specialized abilities. Of course, depending on what abilities you 
specialize in, slightly different things will happen throughout the course 
of the game. For example, after you have saved Billy, he will ask you for a 
rare type of fish, this can only be obtained by fishing it yourself. You 
have to be a certain fishing level to get it, and once you have a high 
enough level, you catch one and take it to Billy, he will give you a rare 
item, that you can only get if you have specialized in fishing. There will 
also be a person with a very rare item, if you are a thief, you can find a 
special costume so nobody is suspicous, and steal it, if your bartering is 
high enough, you can convince him/her to sell it to you.

        There will be a libary where people can read books about the 
different abilities at the start of the game, a good example of how the 
books will be used as a tool for player is the fishing book mentioning what 
level you have to be before you can catch the rare fish for Billy.
Any feedback would be apreciated, as I've said, the engine is still in its 
development stageand any sugestions would be welcome.


Freyalise



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