Flags and Mobs... (was Re: CIRCLE 3.0...)

From: Danhiel Baker (dbaker@dcs.uga.edu)
Date: 04/04/94


Jeff "Teker" Fink explains:
| > Actually, I personally have problems with a person who cannot see anything
| > successfully targeting what are mostly ranged spells, even if they are 'in 
| > combat' with the target.  In RL, I probably couldn't throw a rock and hit
| > someone I am swordfighting with 'twere I blindfolded, even when they were
| > often touching their sword to mine.
| 
|I've thought about this, and I think you would be able to, especially if
|they're actually hitting you... just from listening and feeling where they are,
|I'd think you could hit them with a lightning bolt... just MHO.

With offensive magick like this, it's all opinions and interpretations, really.
I can't step out back with my a friend, blindfold myself, and go at it with
my shinai and attempt to cast a spell on him while just 'using the force'.  
I'd have to at least give offensive, "targeted" spells like lightning, 
fireball, etc (NOT Magic missile - it's a "line of sight" spell; you WILL 
hit what you can see - what you can't see, you can't hit, period) a greater
chance of failure if being cast by a blinded person, simply for the fact
that I *do* know that someone that can't see a moving, defensive target, even
if within melee range, is going to have more trouble hitting than someone 
that CAN see their target.
 
| > | two or three seconds to stand when bashed, and we take into account levels
| > | when you make your bash roll.
| > 
| > Hmmm...I think we just don't see some things the same way :)  Being knocked
| > down is being knocked down - unless you are a decent gymnast you don't just
| > spring back onto your feet, especially if you are attempting this while one
| > or more ppl are trying to do you harm; ideally, the person that was knocked
| > on their rear shouldn't even attack the round that they are standing - a
| > coded 'stand message' would be shown instead for their action that round.
| 
| We actually have the mobs sit and stand, but I think you can still swing
| while sitting... you just can't hit very well...
| 
| 
| Here's where skill value and level are kind of confusing... should a level 30 
| thief be better at stealing than a level 1 thief of the same skill?  I'm not
| sure what the correct answer is...

This is more than a bit vexing; however, since I know that someone can have
a PhD in their field and still be less skilled at some sub-field than someone
with only a BS that has put more effort into that sub-field, I'd have to say
that the lev 5 that has spent ALL of his time learning to pick pockets would
do so better than a level 30 who has just dabbled at it, regardless of the
victims level.

 
| Rather than editing the mob and obj file formats we have added a series of
| optional flags that can be placed at the end of each object/mobile.  For 
| mobiles, we give them skills just by adding some of these optional lines.
| For instance,
| 
| S 45 100
| 
| would give the mobile skill #45 (bash? can't remember) at 100 percent.  I've
| completely rewritten mobact so that mobs with skills randomlty pick one to
| use if they're standing and have mana...  it still needs a little work
| (mobs healing themselves when they don't need it, etc) but it gets rid of the
| need to use spec_procs to do the work for you.

This is *nice!* Quite a well thought out way of dealing with this problem!!!
*applause*  I am sincerely impressed, and feel bad that such a system isn't
available to me *sniff* :)
 
| We've got the USEITEM flag... but it gets abused... people dropping cursed
| armor for mobs to pick up and use...
| 
| -Jeff

They 'remove curse' it to get rid of the NO_DROP?  Clever players :)  You
could add something that will allow mobs with detect_magic to notice that
an item is "cursed" (any negative APPLY fields) and opt to not use it.  For
non-magical items (no MAGIC or NODROP flag) then you can assume that the
reason for the negative APPLY is a physical defect, that most anyone has a 
chance of noticing, and therefore not wearing/using that item.

Danny

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| Danhiel Baker // Derkhil CatSpawn         /) /)     Fade away
| dbaker@dcs.uga.edu                       ( o o )    into the
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