[CF-Devel] pluralism

[Mark Wedel]

Todd Mitchell wrote:

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      I just noticed that many items in the 1.4.0 release are plural in the
     
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      singular (like bags of holding, or staves of banishment - even
     
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      when only one is present.)
     
     
  Have to double check those.

  The plural code is sort of a pain because it wasn't done from the start, and 
instead added a while back.  The problem with this that then there all the 
objects floating around from before the plural code was added (in maps, player 
save files, whatever) which need to get a new value.

  However, I don't see this issue with my client.  What client are you using? 
It could be your client doesn't support the singular/plural names properly, and 
so it always displays the plural names.

  The server basically sends both names to the client when the object shows up - 
it is then up to the client to display the appropriate name depending on how 
many there actually are.

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      1,Scorn,house,100000,vacant
     
     
  So what is the format of that?

1: Lot number
Scorn: Descriptive location of where the lot is?
house: Type of lot?
100000: cost?
vacant: status (so a player name could also be here)

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      Made a Lots folder in the maps directory and made subfolders like so: lot1,
     
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      lot2, lot3...run off a bunch of copies of some standard houses and keeps for
     
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      starters but easy for map builders to add new varieties and update the
     
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      housing market.  The maps are to be linked to places in the main maps and
     
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      manually updated in the lots file.  Needless to say you would have to keep
     
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      the lots file and the unique-items folders and any custom maps backed up or
     
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      you would get some irate players (WHERE IS MY HOUSE!!!!)
     
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      Wrote a script that lets players check a lot (returns location, type, cost
     
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      and if vacant or sold), buy a lot (updates the vacant entry with player
     
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      name), and sell a lot (updates the lot file, gives back half the price
     
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      and -still working on this:-> removes the deed and removes the unique-items
     
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      copies of the map so it is available for resale)
     
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      Deeds are currently just regular items but would it would probably be best
     
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      to make them invisible inventory items. (If only I could get more
     
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      information on the script functions...)
     
     
   I don't see too much issue of the deed being visible - we already have lots 
of current visible tokens (library cards, gate passes, port passes, etc).  Maybe 
someone should make a 'wallet' container.

  In some sense, the deed can arguably not be important - one could argue that 
realistically, the player should be able to give out keys to his house, and the 
deed really isn't that important.

  In terms of the subfolders - are the different lot's somehow different?  Or 
are they mostly done that way so that the exits are up to date?




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      Still working on this and the templates and if anyone has advice for the
     
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      costs (how much for a house, how much to add a basement or a second floor,
     
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      how much for a keep... or anything else I've overlooked (not including an in
     
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      game editor...) - please let me know.  The whole package is up at
     
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      http://abraxis.sytes.net/maps
      
       if you want a peek but it's not finished yet
     
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      (works as an example however, it's pretty easy to figure out).
     
     
  One thought might be to limit home ownership - since you record what players 
own what lots, perhaps put a limit of no more than X houses - in this way, 
rich/powerful players couldn't buy up everything.  This also means that if they 
decide to upgrade to a better residence, they need to sell some of their old 
residences.