Misc thoughts.

[Mark Wedel <master@rahul.net>]

 Just a bunch of misc. thoughts in this message:

 first, every so often, people post/send me mail asking what they can do
in a non programming capacity.  Two things come to mind:  Write up more
help files, and evaluate the existing maps.

 The first is pretty self explanatory. If you know how the commands work,
you can pretty easily write up a help file for it.

 The second is a little more difficult.  What I would say should be this:
As you play the map, how good/interesting is it?  How much of the
criteria does it meet that is set in the mapguide document?  How good
is it for single players?  Multiple players?  Is treasure excessive?
Approximate level that character should be, etc.  Roughly, one or two
paragraph rating and brief description of the map.  All this requires
is that you play the maps, and afterwards, write this information down.

 Different subject:  Overall playability and game balance in crossfire.

 I beleive this was brought up, with no real consesus/decision on what to
do.  Some of this is also from a carried over discussion Peter Mardahl and
myself had in mail.

Basic problems:
Spell casters (especially level 10+) tend 
to have many advantags over fighters.
Most of the different classes/races are not really that different.  Maybe
a stat point here or there, but nothing else.
Weapons created with the improve scrolls become really powerful, and upset
game balance.

 The first probelm I see with spell casters is that the number of spells
is getting larger and larger, and there is no limit to what a caster can
know.  with this, you really want to be able to cast spells, and have
spellpoints to do so.  One solution might be to limit the spells certain
classes can use.  Maybe only priests can use clerical type spells, and
perhaps even use the varous spell paths for different classes to limit
their spell selection.  This also has the advantage that it does
differentiate classes.  And with less spell selection, the spell casters
do not have quite an advantage over straight fighters.

Moria, as an example, does have limits on what different races can cast.
A race/class that wants to be able to cast all spells exists, but tends
to require more experience and/or you need to be higher level to be able to
cast the same spell that a straight mage can cast.

 I would be interested in seeing other thoughts in this area.

 Improved weapons:  IT was brought up that being able to create your own
super weapons was necessary in order for fighters to be able to keep up with
mages.  The basic problem is that mages have just as much to gain from improved
weapons as fighters do (no weight reduces mages chance of fumbling, plus
having it raise certain abilities is just as good for a mage as a fighter.)

Ther other problem is that they totally shift balance.  A fighter with 
a normal weapon (maybe even a non improved artifact, like a darkblade), is
going to have a much tougher time going through a map than a fighter with
an improved weapon.

 (I am assuming that if you are going to improve a w4eapon, you are at least
going to max out damage and min out weight.)

This makes creating maps difficult, and the balance suspect.  Do you create
a map assuming that the person will have an improved weapon, or not?  The
target level for this difference in category is quite large.

 One solution might be to do away with weapon improvements alltogether.
Another might be to limit the potential.  With the improve scrolls, people
can create weapons that are better than artifacts.  Perhaps max damage
for a weapon should be lower.  Maybe the artifacts should be a bit
more powerful.  OR maybe for each improvement, a chance of total failure
(with the weapon being destroyed) shoudl be added.

 In the last case, it then becomes a gamble - do you try to improve
that dam +50 0 weight weapon to increase a stat, knowing it might be 
destroyed and you have to start over?

 Or maybe reduce the player involvement in the weapon.  In nethack, you
could perhaps have your weapon turned into an artifact by sacrificing or
getting it blessed or whatnot.  In crossfire, it is all calculations.  You
can do whatever you want with it.

 If you have any comments on any of this, please mail to the list.

   Mark Wedel
master@rahul.net