Mickey's Dev Notes

[Mickey Kudlo]

I don't promise to keep this upto date since the forum is really the dev notes but here is a text file I started and updated yesterday with some of our discussions and options. And keep in mind, nothing set in stone this early on.

RPGWO V4 Design Notes

- Online, persistent RPG

- Use AGK for client for all platforms
 - NO!, has issues with sockets and keyboard
 - Using Silverlight cuz it is mature and semi-cross platform AND easy to install anywhere (home, work, schoool, prison, etc)

- use AGK for server?
 - NO! too graphics based, no console mode, eats up cycles needlessly
 - Using C#

- all new original artwork and style
 - trying out simple, cartoon style, somethng I can do, no shading or gradients
 - anime studio for player/monster animations
 - photoshop for stills and basic animation
 - ALL artwork MUST be verified original whichs mean I need to draw it all myself
 - another option is crayon and construction paper

- Isometric 2.5D
 - with elevation

- dynamic map system
 - can attach maps to each other but doesn't seem like it will be needed

- RTS style view
 - whole screen shows tactical map
 - areas not visible are grayed out, circular visiblity
 - top row of buttons for open/close windows for player, inventory, skills, guild, options, etc., windows movable?

- modular building in game like V1/V2
 - no single image for buildings, many parts brought together
 - roofs would be nice, somehow

- extreme dynamic/sandbox
 - 99% of items/world should be makable by players

- smooth animated players/monsters
 - walk, attack, die, craft, run

- dynamic items
 - base items with modifiers
 - example weapon: +2 Lightning Silver Broad Sword of Light : Based item is Broad Sword
  - "+2" gives 2 to 4 extra damage - gotten thru a spell
  - "lightning" makes it electric damage - gotten thru a lightning potion
  - "silver" gives 2 to 4 extra damage  (copper 1-2, silver 2-4, iron 3-6, steel 4-8, gold 5-10, zircon 6-12, etc)
  - "broad sword" - cut damage 5 to 10
  - "light" - gives off light like a torch - gotten thru a spell

- new magic system
 - flow based: fire, water, earth, air, spirit
  - not sure about this
 - mantra system of short, single syllable words you need to learn through research or scrolls (found, looted, player written, etc)
  - basically get rid of runes
 - wands not required but they do boost effects: wand +1, orb +2, staff +3
 - any hand held item could be a wand, like a dagger, sword, etc
 - custom magic system, can design own spells based on effect, range, cast time, mana cost, skill required
  - effects learned thru research or scrolls or bought thru a point system
  - create screen for making spells
 - magic scrolls for casting by anyone
  - written by players, 1 or more casts, uses up mana in scroll, still can be defended by target, scroll becomes blank when empty
  - scroll writer uses own mana to make spell for "storage" in scroll
 - tomes hold spell recepies - not sure I like or want to do this, seems confusing - but maybe for selling spells

- karma/god system
 - karma gained thru "worship" activities
 - prayers spend karma
 - prayer effects go beyond the magic system to super natural like - creating items from nothing (food)
 - many gawds, each have an altar some where in world to worship at, can get statues or mini altars to worship at home or on the road
 - each gawd has own prayers and focus
 - some gawds enemies of each other, nuetral or friends, can change
 - player worship grants the gawds "power" and range, they feed off worship to be strong, else become limited
 - shrines and temples contain the altars?
 - Faith/Worship Skill
 - players can worship more than one gawd, each one has own karma
 - gawds may or may not grant prayer, also gawds may grant a prayer for free, randomly if they like you
 - could be just passive, non-magic effects like increasing loot, more/less monster spawn, monster ignore/attract, less weapon/item degrading, etc

- Morale
 - acts like vitae but can be positive and gives boosts to skills, replaces vitae
 - starts at zero for normal
 - subtract on death
 - add when you do/wear/eat certain things
 - time based, goes up to zero if negative over a short time, maybe based on level
 - eating different "comfort' foods gives temporary increase - gives cooking value
 - wearing nice clothes give temp increase until the clothes wear out and become rags - gives tailor value

[Mickey Kudlo]

Some basic/incomplete notes:

RPGWO V4 Modern World Design

Background Story
- Year 2000, zombie/mutant virus hits mainland and wipes out population
- haven island safe from virus (players start here), eventually formulated a cure
- 2-3 years later, resources are running low and players elected to head to mainland to harvest and ship back goods
- mainland has ruined cities full of zombies, mutants, remnant humans and loot!



World Structure
- haven island
 - seperate map : 100 x 100
 - training center : players start here
 - given basic practice weapons and tools during training
 - target practice for melee, missle and firearms, no monsters
 - crafting skills practice area
 - need to limit how high skill values can get so can't macro too high
 - final shop to spend credits on weapons and tools and armor and equiptment
 - dock to get in boat to head to mainland

- mainland
 - seperate map : 2000 x 2000
 - many towns, probably 1 per 200x200 sector
 - roads connect all the towns
 - abandoned farms, businesses scattered along roads
 - towns
  - 60x60 to 100x100 ? : built by system randomly using small building maps
  - residential, commercial, industrial, government, etc
  - roads, sewers
 - landing spot : small dock/port town
 - the farther from landing spot, the harder monsters


The Virus and Economy
- players infected as soon as they arrive ? or chance when get damage from a zombie/mutant
- only Haven has the cure and must spend credits to buy it
- credits earned through shipping loot/resources back to Haven
- cure runs out after a real week and need it again

Virus Effects
- when cure runs out it starts to affect players
- small affects, growing steadily until the player finally "dies" and becomes zombie
- stuck as zombie until you die


Gaining Loot/Resources
- gather man-made resources : find in ruins, hideouts, etc
- gather natural resources : mining, lumberjack, etc
- gather self-made resources : farming, manufacturing, artisan, etc


How to Keep it Sandbox?
- defined : players/NPC build everything
- How to deal with ruined towns?
 - keep all PLOT and don't allow edits?
 - have some of it PLOT? and allow some claiming
 - allow ALL of it to be claimed and reworked
 - special PLOTs that allows editing? so NPC can move in?
 - what happens to item and monster spawns?
  - monster spawns could have an extinguish factor: if killed x count within y time then remove spawn or push it away
- large industrial equiptment creating? cars?


Content List

- items

 - residential
  - house
   - bedroom
    - bed
    - dresser
   - kitchen
    - sink
    - cabinets
    - oven
    - microwave
    - refrig
   - dining room
    - table
    - chairs
   - living room
    - couch
    - tv
    - recliner
   - garage
    - car
    - washer
    - dryer
    - cabinets
   - basement
   - attic
    - chest
   - bathroom
    - sink
    - toilet
    - tub
    - cabinets
  - apartment

 - commercial
  - grocery store
   - shelves
   - freezers
   - refrig
   - checkout stand
  - gas station
   - gas pump
  - offices
   - desk
   - chairs
   - computers
  - diner
   - table
   - chairs
   - booth
   - counter
   - stools
   - kitchen items
   - refrig
  - clothing
   - racks
   - checkout stand
  - jewelry
  - pawn shop
  - sporting goods
  - mall
  - plant nursery
  - hardware store
   - shelves
   - check out stand

 - industrial
  - warehouse
   - racks
  - food processing
  - metal working
   - metal punches
   - laser shaping
  - assembly
  - manufacturing
  - refining
   - centrifuge
   - furnace
   - distillery
  - mining
   - surface
   - underground
  - drilling
   - oil wells   
  - construction
  - chemical
   - plastics
   - rubber
   - fertilizer
  - pharmacuetical
  - ceramics

 - government
  - city hall
   - offices
  - library
   - shelves
   - checkout stand
   - computers
  - police
   - offices
   - garage
   - jail
   - weapons locker
  - courthouse
  - fire
   - garage
   - kitchen
   - living
   - bedrooms
  - trash
   - trash cans and bins
   - dump/landfill
  - water
   - storage resivoir
   - processing
   - pumps
   - water main, plumbing
  - power
   - generator
    - wind
    - solar
    - hydro
    - steam (coal, nuclear)
   - power lines
   - transformers
  - street lights
  - military
   - base
    - fencing
    - hanger/garage
   - outpost
  - bus depot
  - sewer
   - man hole

 - recreational
  - park
   - bench
   - playground
   - field
  - stadium
   - seating
   - field
  - museum
   - displays
   - statues
   - paintings

 - weapons
  - melee
   - boxing - gloves, knuckles
   - knife
   - sword
  - missle
   - bow
   - crossbow
   - thrown
  - firearm
   - pistol
   - rifle
  - ammo
   - bullets
   - gunpowder
   - casing
   - clips
  - explosives
   - propelled
    - grenade
    - rocket
    - mortar
   - stationary
    - dynamite
    - C4
 
 - tools
  - pick
  - shovel
  - jackhammer
  - drill
  - hammer
  - screwdriver
  - wrench
  - crobar
  - welding torch

 - supplies
  - nails

 - armor
  - physical
   - head, chest/arms, legs
  - chemical
   - breather/respirator
   - coveralls
  - radiation
   - coveralls

 - food

 - transportation
  - car wrecks
  - scooters/motorcycle
  - roads, sidewalks, paths
  - railroad
  - parking
  - bus stops


- resources

 - man-made - already exist in ruins
  - electronics
  - clothes
  - furniture
  - scrap
  - gases
   - Oxygen

 - natural
  - ore
  - minerals
  - crude oil, natural gas
  - wood, stone, plants, seeds
  - virus cured animals
  - water

 - self-made - player made, most or all in man-made
  - crops
   - corn
   - wheat
   - fruit - apple, orange
   - roots - potato, carrot
  - artwork
  - refined
   - refined metal ingots
   - tar/asphalt
   - silicon
   - aluminum

- plant life
 - trees 
  - birch
  - pine
  - cypress
 - plants
  - flowers
   - rose
  - weeds

- monsters
 - zombie
  - human
  - animal
 - mutant
  - human
  - animal
   - mammal
    - cat, dog, deer, bear
   - reptile
    - lizard, croc, snake
   - bird
    - finch, hawk
   - fish
    - trout, bass
 - robot
  - mobile
  - static - terminals
  - staionary - turrents

- NPC
 - human from haven
 - human remnant on mainland
  - bandit
 - robot

- Surface
 - natural
  - dirt
  - grass
  - sand
  - forest
  - rock
   - mountain
   - desert
 - man made
  - concrete
  - asphalt
  - carpet
  - tiles
  - wood

- walls
 - short
 - medium
 - high
 - building structure
 - brick
 - concrete
 - wood
 - chain link
 - picket