RE: CF: Object decay, wear, and repair (Was Re: World Map)

[dragonm <dragonm@leech.org>]

-----Original Message-----
From: David Andrew Michael Noelle
To: crossfire@ifi.uio.no
Sent: 9/20/99 1:09 PM
Subject: Re: CF: Object decay, wear, and repair (Was Re: World Map)

> From: dragonm <dragonm@leech.org>
> Date: Mon, 20 Sep 1999 09:09:20 -0700

> Non-simple experience is probably recommended, actually.  However,
it'd be
> necessary to modify how it works.  Rather than award double experience
for
> killing a very powerful creature, merely bump the experience up a
little.
> Make the experience gain for killing weaker creatures drop off even
faster
> than it does, though.  This way, a weaker player who happens to be
following
> a stronger player through a dungeon won't find the place killed out.
Strong
> players won't bother to kill creatures that weak players can handle.

Be real careful there.  Before we can do something like that, we need
an accurate measure of how powerful a player is.  Comparing levels is
not currently a reliable measure.  Otherwise, the map spoilers
wouldn't have to give one minimum level for fighters and a
significantly higher level for mages.  With experience gain determined
by relative levels, mages would have to either deal with a
disgustingly slow gain or put themselves in enough danger to lose more
experience from repeated deaths than they could have gained from
success.
-----Begin Response-----
Certainly some additional effort would be required to implement a workable
solution.  The suggestion was not a "run right out and implement it" idea.
You'll find most of mine are that way.  I tend to look at a broader picture,
without concern for existing code, then go back and fill in the gaps after
the broader notions are hammered into some semblance of sanity.  Existing
code and the effort required to modify it are only of consequence to me if
I'm being paid, with deadlines.  For hobby coding, I can fiddle with it for
a couple hours every other night for months if I like.  When writing code
for entertainment, how "hard" it is to do something is no obstacle and no
excuse.  If it's "the right thing", do it anyway.

In any case, you're certainly correct.  The disparity in fighter vs. mage
levels (not to mention other races/classes) precludes a quick-fix.  Neither
the AI enhancement where monsters run away from "stronger" characters nor
this idea of decreasing experience gained for killing much weaker monsters
is workable if implemented as a simple greater-than/less-than comparison
based on raw character level.  There are two solutions to that.  One is to
invent a more complex formula to determine the strength of a character.  The
other is to bring true character strength in line with character level
across classes.  I don't know which is easier, or more the the point, which
is preferred, especially considering the eventual breakup of the current
"class as race" scheme.

DM
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