Silver Blades

[manikus]

As you've written about this method over the last while, I have thought about it more and more for use in my design. I do not ever just want to run a combat with the text, "Monsters attack!". I think that even random combats should give the opportunity to try and bargain or flee. It may be that these options are rigged towards fighting, but they should still be there.
Since I already want to do that, I think that I might do the main events, that is the ones key to the plot, in the non-combat format. Will that give things away to the player? Maybe, but I can do the side-quests in the same manner (at least the major ones) and it will be less obvious.

I'm still thinking about it, so I don't if this is feasible yet. I can't see why it wouldn't be, though. I also lan on using some pre-created characters and still give the player the option to create their own. The advantage will be that the pre-created characters have special items or abilities (or something, I'm not sure what quite yet).

[SilentThief]

Originally Posted by manikus As you've written about this method over the last while, I have thought about it more and more for use in my design. I do not ever just want to run a combat with the text, "Monsters attack!". I think that even random combats should give the opportunity to try and bargain or flee. It may be that these options are rigged towards fighting, but they should still be there.

Yeah, we've talked about this, too. the idea of fighting the same 6 orcs every 6 or 12 steps (or whatever) is boring. I think the idea of having random combat events is ok *IF* you can give them some kind of relevancy or uniqueness. For example, have the orcs have different stats/equipment/banner/color (tribe/clan?)/names (for leader types). Also, include some push towards a resolution (even if small, to change things up) in the story (like fight 5 patrols of orcs and then the orcs get scared and increase the patrol strength by doubling the numbers and sending out archers/spellcasters. Then after more fights they fall back to their home and you have to go route the orc army).

Originally Posted by Dinonykos One reason why I also want to avoid the normal combat mode is that things like taking captives or showing chivalry cannot be easily included.

Yeah, if the morale issue (fleeing monsters causes game to hang) could be fixed then there are a bunch of related features I wanted to integrate into DC, such as the ability to set a flag if a monster surrenders so you could after combat set up events simulating an interrogation, Likewise with a fleeing enemy you could have a message like "the orcs flee to the north" after the combat and you decide whether or not you want to chase them (could be ambush to the north...)

Also, outside of your 6 characters and 2 NPCs for 8 total, you cannot keep track of friendlies that survive a combat, so you cannot (yet ) track if you have an army/patrol of 16 fighters with you if they survive from one combat to the next.

Just a few of the many ideas I forsee in DC future

SilentThief

[Uatu]

A lot of interesting things here...

1. Icons and "blank space" - yeah, this is an issue for sure; I try to squeeze my icons into the rectangles as best I can, but some sizes (i.e. an 8' x 8' monster, for example) just don't work very well.

2. Dinonykos' game: no combat screen? We won't see your cool icons in action?

3. Parleying: I was planning to do this kind of thing for my own very fledgling game - note that I have a lot of "good" icons, "neutral" icons, and "evil" icons, leaving a lot of choices (hopefully) before combat - this can be scripted, can't it? For random combat events as well? If not, I will have to do a lot of rethinking...

[manikus]

Originally Posted by Uatu 3. Parleying: I was planning to do this kind of thing for my own very fledgling game - note that I have a lot of "good" icons, "neutral" icons, and "evil" icons, leaving a lot of choices (hopefully) before combat - this can be scripted, can't it? For random combat events as well? If not, I will have to do a lot of rethinking...

Yes, we can do this.

[Uatu]

Phew! Of course, I am not sure how complex we can get (repercussions for killing too many (several battles) innocent dryads/sylphs/elves? If a unique encounter (say, traveling merchant Bob) ends in battle the encounter never happens again? Also as SilentThief stated, keeping track of NPCs in combat that survive/die? (If not, at least instant game-over when one of them do die))...

In the mean time, I will just draw more pictures, I guess

[manikus]

I don't have any more icons done, and now I'm rethinking whether I need to do many more at all...

But, anyways I've been working on a wall, an arch/doorway and a door. Here is the first screenshot of Legacy of the Silver Blades.

(Click on the image to see full-size.)

[Uatu]

Hey, nice work, the walls look nice and solid, and the doors/archways also look very nice. The border also looks nice and cold.

[manikus]

I still haven't decided on a font. I might change it to tahoma (or something else that all Windows machines have). I might go for a more exotic font if I find a free one that I can distribute with the design.

[Dinonykos]

Originally Posted by Uatu (If not, at least instant game-over when one of them do die))...

This can quite easily be realized (I have posted a logic block for this at Manikus' forum - Manikus had to correct something if I remember right... ) and I will do exactly this in the "adventure game adventure". It may be a little rude/abrupt for the player, but I will include a reasoning for this in the background story (something like: "If only one of your team members dies, the whole mission will be considered as a failure...").
Concerning the icons: Like I told I will also do a kind of "hack&slay" RPG including combat where all the icons will be included. But I also want an adventure without slaughtering that I can for example give to my teenage nieces/nephews.

[Dinonykos]

Aren't there any strange things happening if you use Tahoma, Manikus? E.g. some characters/letters may be not displayed properly, I assume.