[CF List] New experience system on metalforge

[Steven Lembark]

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      To be fair to the people making maps - this is almost necessary since the
     
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      monsters would not stay put without walls to contain them and you would
     
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      end up with a pileup around the player.  Now this has been fixed somewhat
     
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      since monsters have a limited sensing range - but this range is usually
     
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      at least 1/3 of the size of a map (30X30 map) and seems to work through
     
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      walls.  Using attack_movement is one really good way to work around this
     
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      making monsters that snipe and hit and run, another is using movers to
     
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      give creatures pseudo-formation.
     
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      Adding in more selective blocking (blocks walking, allows flying- for
     
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      starters) would allow more open maps to be designed that encouraged more
     
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      missile combat and more co-operative play.  This is not a problem with the
     
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      map editor, it is a problem with the available objects.  Based on past
     
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      conversations on this topic I think it wouldn't be too difficult to
     
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      implement, especially compared to the amount it would add to map design
     
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      and game play.
     
     
The existing map makers have done an excellent job of populating
CF to date: the entire enterprise would be a complete waste if not
for people who make maps!

My point is that mapmaker's ability to control the items you describe
should be built into the map making utility so that it can be used to
make more effective maps. If controling the monsters more effectively
is useful [I'll agree with that] then that should be part of the map
editor.

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      Again this is an issue when you have linear map layouts, but it wouldn't
     
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      be so bad if maps were built more open and allowed the use of terrain
     
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      (half-walls, barrels, water, rubble, elevation and pits - all this could
     
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      be faked out with a no-walk, fly-pass type flag).  Then maps could be
     
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      designed that let players fan out a bit more and not impeed each other.
     
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      Also this would allow players who are physically tough to go alone and
     
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      smash through groups of creatures, while players who used more ranged
     
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      combat techniques to band together using the terrain to keep monsters at
     
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      a distance.
     
     
Ditto.


--
Steven Lembark                               2930 W. Palmer
Workhorse Computing                       Chicago, IL 60647
                                            +1 800 762 1582