[crossfire] Death Penalty, was Re: IRC traffic for Sunday Oct 22

[Mark Wedel]

Lalo Martins wrote:
> On Wed, 25 Oct 2006 00:42:20 -0700, Mark Wedel wrote:
>>   I'm not sure what the limbo map gets us.
> 
> I just tossed that around as a possible mechanism to pick your choice of
> penalty.  You could be moved to Limbo, where you can choose between the
> options you list below by stepping on different exits, or somesuch --
> similar to the current Halls of Selection.

  Note that for any limbo map, they player would have to appear in an area 
controlled by gates.  EG, if I'm attacking something, I'm running in some 
direction - if I die, I don't want to accidentally run into something that makes 
my choice.

  I know that maps are the easiest way to do things, but IMO, we should really 
go to the extra step and just have some menu that pops up asking the player what 
to do.

  This also has some advantage in that you could even provide some mix and match.

  Eg, I don't want to lose 10%, nor do I want to lose 4 stat points.  But 5% and 
2 stat points would be OK.

  Also, I think it this can provide better information.  Having a pad that says 
'step here and lose 10% exp' is so so - I'd much rather have a window which 
shows exactly how much exp that means, how many level(s) that affects, etc.

  I think we should learn from the hallofselection - a good method, but 
providing actual menus provides a better experience for the player.

> 
>>   A choice between death penalties is interesting.  But then you have to
>>   ask what the penalties are.  Obvious choices:
>> - exp loss
>> - stat loss
>> - monetary loss
>> - time loss (character/player has to sit a while?)
>> - other?
> 
> I think monetary as in money proper is probably too cheap (and you
> probably won't be carrying enough to pay it); but sacrificing valuable
> artifacts adds a cool twist.

  My thought for monetary, if chosen, is that that some invisible force gets 
added to the player that has incredibly severe penalties (-10 to various stats, 
etc), and that force is removed when the player pays off the cost.  Maybe in the 
form of donation on an altar (repenting to your god?)

  Something similar could be done for artifact sacrifice (player may not be 
carrying it, so put in some force).

  Money may be cheap, OTOH, if the cost is really high, players may end up not 
having so much money (keep paying off those deaths costs could add up).

  and if the goal is to reduce the death penalty, making it money is one of the 
ways to do it.


> I like stat loss, of course; but high-level players have piles of stat
> potions, so maybe that's only accepted up to a certain level? (Or in
> practise, it "costs" more and more stat points according to your overall
> exp, so that it always "hurts" sufficiently)

  As things are now, at high levels, most likely only exp loss would be painful, 
as that is the only thing you can't really buy back.

  there had been discussions about changing the way stats work (make stats 
1-100, make stat potions of some chance of increasing a stat, etc).  If that was 
done, such that it was pretty much impossible to get 100 stats, then players 
wouldn't have stat potions about (they'd always use them), so stat loss actually 
would be painful.