[CF List] New experience system on metalforge

[Todd Mitchell]

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        The crossfire design probably isn't great for multiplay for the various
     
     reasons:
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      1) Many dungeons have narrow passages, so you really can't get two people
     
     side
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      by side bashing on that monster.
     
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To be fair to the people making maps - this is almost necessary since the
monsters would not stay put without walls to contain them and you would end
up with a pileup around the player.  Now this has been fixed somewhat since
monsters have a limited sensing range - but this range is usually at least
1/3 of the size of a map (30X30 map) and seems to work through walls.  Using
attack_movement is one really good way to work around this making monsters
that snipe and hit and run, another is using movers to give creatures
pseudo-formation.
Adding in more selective blocking (blocks walking, allows flying- for
starters) would allow more open maps to be designed that encouraged more
missile combat and more co-operative play.  This is not a problem with the
map editor, it is a problem with the available objects.  Based on past
conversations on this topic I think it wouldn't be too difficult to
implement, especially compared to the amount it would add to map design and
game play.

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      2) Monsters vs player hp is a large disparity - this basically means that
     
     most
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      attacks players do will kill (or seriously harm) other players - thus, it
     
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      becomes very dangerous to get in the way of another players attack (be it
     
     weapon
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      or spell).
     
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      3) There isn't any way right now to cast spells over/around a player in
     
     front of
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      you.  You can't use the tactic of big tough fighter stands in the corrider
     
     while
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        mage sits back and helps with offensive spells like many live RPG's
     
     allow (if
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      this was possible, point #1 wouldn't be as much an issue).
     
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     Again this is an issue when you have linear map layouts, but it wouldn't be
so bad if maps were built more open and allowed the use of terrain
(half-walls, barrels, water, rubble, elevation and pits - all this could be
faked out with a no-walk, fly-pass type flag).  Then maps could be designed
that let players fan out a bit more and not impeed each other.  Also this
would allow players who are physically tough to go alone and smash through
groups of creatures, while players who used more ranged combat techniques to
band together using the terrain to keep monsters at a distance.

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      4) most combats are over _very_ quickly - either you kill the opposing
     
     monster
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      in a few seconds, or you don't have much hope.  There are very few combats
     
     which
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      go on for any amount of time - this also makes cooperation harder - if for
     
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      example you have someone that backs you up and casts healing spells, by
     
     the time
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      you can tell that other person 'I need healing', your probably dead.  So
     
     all
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      that person could really do is just cast a spell on you every second or
     
     two and
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      hope that pacing is correct.
     
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     If you are using a melee model this is true, unless you use hit and run
tactics.