[CF-Devel] item_power (ego) changes.

[Mark Wedel]

  This idea was originally started by me in the change equip mode discussion. 
It is really unrelated, and could just as well be done with the current equip 
method.  I thought I'd break it out of that thread to make it easier to follow it.

  In that thread, I had mentioned giving each item an ego value.  I think saying 
it is item_power would be better.  Ego suggests the item has some consciousness 
of its own - in really, many items will have some power rating by no consciousness.

  In short summary, this is an alteration of giving items a min_level.  In a 
min_level system, the character needs to be some level before using that item.

  With the item_power idea, all the item_power for all items the player has 
equipped are summed up.  They can not exceed some value - if equipping an item 
would exceed that value, the player is told somethign like 'that combination is 
too powerful with your other items'.

  Adding such an element to items gives additional ways to balance items.  There 
are well known artifacts that are clearly the best.  Giving them also the 
highest power rating balances them out - you can use them, but may not be able 
to use all your other best artifacts at the same time, so maybe you don't want 
to use it after all so you can use your other good artifacts.

  My personal thought is that the item_power that the player is allowed is 
determined largely by the characters overall level.  Some stats may adjust this, 
and perhaps even some race or classes adjust this in some way.

  I say that using overall level is because if it is based on one of the skill 
categories, it then forces all characters to concentrate on that one category.

  In theory, you could have different item powers that correspond to the 
different exp categories (eg, this item is 2 physical and 2 agility power 
points).  My thought is that just makes things really complicated for the player 
in terms of trying to find combinations of items to use (even if each item only 
goes against one category, it gets trick.  Like for example, I equip this new 
helm, which counts against personel, and the old one counted 3 against physique, 
so now let me re-arrange my physique items, etc)

  For artifacts or special items made in maps, easy enough to set appropriate 
item_power values.

  For items generated automatically, I propose that the number of enchantments 
is used to determine the appropriate item tower.  Perhaps using a table like:

# enchantments		power
	0		0
	1		0
	2		1
	3		2
	4		3
	5		5
	6		8
	7		11

  Or whatever.  As said, a table would be used to determine the enchantment -> 
power rating, so easily customizable.  The table is not quite linear - this is 
intentional - items that put a lot of stuff into one item is obviously more 
useful than two seperate items combined have the same abilities, simply because 
the player has a limited number of slots to equip things (this adjustment is 
already done for price).

  Now what counts as an enchantment.  My idea:
Each plus an item has.
Each point an item increases an ability.
Each 20% protection an item gives (rounded normally, eg 0-9 counts as nothing, 
10-29 counts as one, etc)

  Some abilities should perhaps cost more.  eg, it may be considered that mana 
regen is more valuable than a stat gain, so each point of mana regen is 2 
enchantments, etc.

  The random artifacts should probably be updated to include the number of 
enchantments they effectively have, so that when the program generates such an 
item, it can properly calculate the appropriate total # of enchantments.

  Now the number of enchantments allowed to the player is probably easier to 
determine after the values for the items are set up -  the number shouldn't be 
too constrictive, but if a player has all the best artifacts and still doesn't 
approach it, something isn't right.  At the same point, low level characters 
shouldn't run into it all that often if they are just using normal items - this 
is one reason that 1 enchantment items still don't count as anything, and 2 
enchantment items only count as a point.  Using the above table, a 10'th level 
chracter ths is fully equipped probably has a powr total of around 10 (3 for the 
sword, maybe 3 for armor, and several +2 items).