[spoon-discuss] On Multiple Grids

["Glotmorf" <glotmorf@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 3/27/03 at 8:19 PM Daniel Lepage wrote:

>On Multiple Grids:
>
>It would be interesting, certainly.
>On the multiple location issue, I would suggest each player existing on
>only one Grid at a time; perhaps 'avatars' could be
>purchased/earned/otherwise obtained to allow players to act like they
>were on multiple grids at once.
>On the defining objects for them issue, I would suggest making
>'classes' of Grid Object; a given Grid might allow, say, all class-A
>objects, and nothing else, or all class-C objects that can be produced
>by Mixing Gnomes, plus all class-M objects that cannot be destroyed, or
>things like that.
>Alternately, the Grids could have classes; so a Bomb Gnome might only
>be useable on D-class Grids, or Force powers could only affect objects
>on A,B,or F class grids. That sort of thing.
>
>Or maybe both? An entire new Grid could be created by saying, "There
>exists a 12x5 C-Class Grid open to class D,E, and A objects called the
>Foo Field." Other general properties could be more efficiently
>expressed as a chart:
>Name       Class  Objects  VoidLevel  Size  Covered  DefaultSubst
>DefaultElev
>Foo Field  CE     AEF      -10        12x5  No       Turf          2

I would suggest keywords rather than named classes...things like Desert, Island, Lava, etc. for grids and descriptives for objects.

>I'm imagining a standard method for creating new Grid objects based on
>charts, as well:
>Name         Subst       Mass  Complexity  Type    Value  Special
>Spiked Club  Wood,Metal  4     1           Weapon  15     None
>Mine         Metal       3     5           Other   60     Armable,
>Triggerable
>Surg. probe  Metal       1     12          Tool    50     Repair(2),
>Analyze(8)
>
>Perhaps we could even establish an SQL table containing all Grid
>Objects and their properties, for easy lookup and storage.

Thus re-introducing the itemized raw material schedule?  If yer gonna itemize materials extracted, you should also itemize means and sources of extraction.

>On the lots of squares without multiple Grids idea:
>	I had at one point planned a 7200 square grid. The idea was that the
>current grid would be expanded to 60x60 by adding a 20-wide swathe of
>water around it, making it an island. Smaller islands could then be
>created within these bonus 3200 squares; for any sort of war-based
>subgame, this would be excellent, allowing oceanic vs. landgoing units,
>tidal control spells, and volcanos to come into play, among other
>things. The other 3600 squares would be another 60x60 grid *underneath*
>the first one; most of these squares would be filled in, and thus
>inaccessible (those under the islands), but the rest would be the
>'underwater' level; then underground waterways could be carved running
>under the main islands; I envisioned strong, fast currents running
>along these, so that any Speeder equipped with a waterproofing could go
>in at one end of a tunnel and come out almost instantaneously at the
>other end. Tunnels could be drilled from the surface of an island down
>to the underworld waterways; thus, if you were in a fortress under
>siege, and you knew that any moment your walls would collapse, you'd be
>captured, and something bad would happen to you, you could blow a hole
>in your fortress and escape through the nautical maze under the Grid.
>With special upgrades on your speeder (or perhaps with a high enough
>strength and race Merfolk) you could swim upstream to escape people who
>couldn't follow you, and let timed explosives be carried back towards
>your enemies by the current.
>
>But that might overcomplicate things.

At this point I'd like to re-introduce the tunneling idea I had before, for underground mining and transportation.  This would work with the islands idea, since you could tunnel down a little bit to go from place to place on the same island, or much deeper to go between islands.  Strip-mining too close to surface water can eat away at an island; shoreline can be expanded using Big Rocks or the landscaping rule.  And, perhaps as an extension of the weather, sea level can rise and fall.  Islands may therefore need to start out vaguely conical.

Plus...I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I once had an idea for a hellacious D&D campaign: Two wizards go into the mountains, away from everyone else, to duel; the duel is sufficiently titanic that they're left in the middle of a crater, and build rock shelters to recover and re-launch their attacks...and it's only a matter of time before they build towers, carve out dungeons under them...and start tunneling toward each other. (Think Dungeon Keeper in vs. mode.)

So...Imagine tunneling in a sort of blind mode, where, not only do you not know what sort of rock or underground hazard you might encounter, you also don't know where other tunnels are until you break through and explore them.

How's that for an overcomplication?

						Glotmorf

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