CF: more on identify

[swedel@Tymnet.COM (Scott Wedel)]

A much easier way of improving identify would be to change from a fixed
price regardless of the number of items of that type (which implies that
first item is identified and player identifies the rest which thus implies
that player could from then on identify that item).

A system where each individual item is identified according to the
difficulty of identifying it makes more sense.  ie. a normal bow is
trivial to identify while a +3 bow of auriga should be harder and
hence more expensive.  The thing to avoid is telling the player the
true value of the item by the cost of identifying it.  This can be
done via an iterative process of identifying the item from simplest
possibility to rarest artifact with each step costing more money.
Ie, for a few silver pieces you can be told whether it is a normal
bow or whether it is not.  It might cost a couple of gp to learn
whether or not it is a +1 and so on.  If a character put down 20 gp
to identify a +3 bow of auriga then there might be a few gp left with
answer of "more powerful magic than a simple +3 bow" (the last iterative
step completed and player needed more money to complete the identification).

Basically, each item would have it's base identify cost (which might be
a formula based upon it's value), it's less expensive related item,
and it's current identify level.  The actual identify routine could
check if there is enough to fully identify the item and if not then
backtrack up until item can be partially identified.

This could also restore some playbalance since then beginners don't
spend as much identifying crappy items and experienced players find
it harder to identify really good items (even the identify spell might
not be good enough to identify the Ring of Life).

							sdw

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