Death System & Food
Death and Dying
Purpose:
To discourage players from reckless (Rambo style) fighting in the
world of Istaria and to a lesser extent to promote group
participation. (History lesson-there is safety in numbers)
Comparison:
The current system is old, outdated, overly complex, whacky,
smells funny, has bad breath, doesn't call it's mother on Mother's
Day, makes fun of crippled people and double dips.
Summary:
A detailed outline of the replacement system will be described
using existing game infrastructure and dynamics. This will include
death as it pertains to the effects it has on players starting from
acquisition to removal.
Acquisition
How to Acquire "Death Points"
Each death point is a marker of how many deaths have occurred giving
one death point after each death. Currently there is a grace period
for players level 10 and below will receive no death regardless of
how many times they have died.
What are the Effects of a Death Point? A Death Penalty
A death penalty serves the purpose of slowing down (or hindering)
the process (or the rate) of the characters' leveling. Currently a
death penalty is a period of time that the character suffers
dramatic statistical loss on their character sheet resulting in a
weakened state. The death penalty increases in duration based on a
mathematical formula that includes the number of death points
acquired results in a blackout period of weakened state that will be
restored after the death penalty timer decreases to 0, thereby
restoring the character to full stats. The loss of stats during the
death penalty is also calculated by some means to result in lower
statistics for the character.
This weakened state does not fit the criteria for a penalty because
it effectively makes the character unable enter combat similar to
how they would prior to acquiring a death penalty, likewise the
death penalty is temporary but the death count is incremental yet
the death penalty is based on accumulation of death points. Death
penalties are currently death sentences. This does not fit the purpose of death.
Proposal or Ultimate IDEA
Revision of the death system is mandatory for the development of the
game. The proposal will take into account all of the following:
disparity in level/rating, casual gamer vs. power game,
confectioners role, economic value and marketability.
Converting from a death sentence to a death penalty
Death points will be acquired by suffering an unfortunate demise.
This is now a direct relationship of death points to death penalty.
Earning one death point for each death but how does this affect the
character? As a penalty for dying the death point will artificially
increment the character rating by 1 thus off setting the amount of
experience the character would normally get from defeating an
opponent their own rating and has no other statistical degradation.
This approach will hinder experience gain but will not handicap the
player in combat versus an opponent their own level compared to
before the death penalty was invoked. The dynamics of this penalty
would require a character to now fight someone their own rating to
achieve the same amount of experience they would have achieved for
defeating an opponent of their uninflated rating. Subsequent
increments in rating will eventually make experience very slow with
lessening gains. This is a penalty.
What happens to rating inflation as it pertains to unauthorized
behavior.
TigerLilly7005bso just created a new character rating one but
decides to artificially inflate her character by means of repeated
deaths to a modified rating 100. Now she can go with her level 100
friends and kill level 100's and get the level 100 experience. Well
that's great isn't it. Well keep in mind that it's called a penalty
for a reason it's not a death bonus. As described above even though
TigerLilly7005bso has a modified rating and defeats a rating 100
opponent with her friends sadly to her disappointment she will only
receive the full experience equal to what she would have gotten had
she defeated a level one. That is the same for defeating someone
above your inflated rating when you have a death penalty. It's
capped at what you would have gotten had you defeated an opponent
your own level. The penalty includes a maximum experience cap of
same rating kills. Don't get too many or you know what happens, this
creature isn't worth any experience to you.
Elimination
The process of eliminating death points and in turn your death
penalty to restore you back to your good old self. Understanding and
respecting that all players are not created equal, some being on for
shorter or longer periods of time than others presents fairness and
equality dilemma. Two approaches neatly and custom tailored to each
group of players is demonstrated here. I like to refer to the
players that takes sips instead of gulps as the casual gamer and
obviously the others are power gamers with the insatiable hunger for
istaria. The casual gamer sometimes gets on before work or after or
at night before bed or any other number of combinations or
scenarios. The power gamer, well we know who we are...I’m not
playing a game I’m Lord Ssaris the Gifted and I defeat the evil in
istaria.
Well what does this mean to me since I only play for short periods
at a time or infrequently?
There is a passive method to removal of death points which is to do
nothing and they will wear off in time. But when? How? Tell me more?
Choosing an arbitrary time of 7 hours, from the time you receive
your first death point whereby any incrementing of death points
after that will be purged after the seven hour timer goes to 0. That
works for me, I’ll be back from work by then or I won't be back on
until late at night anyway. This method doesn't not compound a
penalty for being a casual gamer and in turn provides the power
gamer with options instead of directives which are currently in
place.
What if I don't want to wait can't I speed it up somehow? Of course
you can eat some food. Food has been a source of replenishment since
time began but all the numbers and restrictions and chaotic
attributes of the different foods really left many istarians
fasting, indefinitely. With food and death being interconnected any
changes to death must include changes to food.
What is istarian food? Food comes in four categories appetizers,
sides, main dish, desserts. The food from each category makes a
meal. To remove one death point you must eat an appetizer, side,
main dish, desert for your level. Only after eating all four do you
remove a single death point making each individual food ineffective
at removing a death point by itself consumed repeatedly.
Market and Economy
When adventurers create demand for food the supply will increase to
satisfy demand in the event of shortage obviously value will
increase and vice versa. This will create a robust market for food
as a real benefit and providing tangible usefulness.
Originally Posted by Shian
