game fun and "pervert-ability" for modders

from Elemental Forums

I saw a post a while ago where frogboy pointed out some potential feature of Elemental AI might not be "fun".  For a moment this morning, I wondered about this statement...   What features are there that make a game fun, and how do you spend time and effort to effectively discover those features?  The answer is probably "your mileage will vary".  Some people instantly love a certain game, which is immediately boring to others.

Many many many many years ago, I was introduced to perversions of chess.  Some people liked to play it where if you took a certain piece, like a pawn, the pawn would blow up, and take out all other pieces in a 1 square radius.  I was too young and conservative to ever try such a game - I was more interested in becoming a good player of the game with the normal rules, than to try this out.

Years later a friend drew me a chess board that was distorted and overlaid on a cylinder, with the board edges "sewn" together to form a continuous board, such that rooks could go infinitely left or infinitely right without encountering any boundary.  We played it a few times - it was novel.  I never quite could get my head around it.

All this to wonder just how "pervert-able" Elemental is, (or is going to be when it's more stable).  

 

For example, currently there's some discussion over "stacks of doom" whether or not to have them.  Is this moddable?  Can every unit be retooled to occupy a square exclusively, so that some units will stack, while others won't?  [I'm not asking "would that be a good idea", only "is it moddable?"]

Same with unit movement, with regard to the "squares versus hexes" discussion: can unit movement capabilities be modded such that every unit could only move in 6 directions rather than 8 (effectively changing the whole map).

 

40,494 views 11 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

As far as modding the game to use hexes (in fashion or another), that I find highly unlikely without something really contrived as square tiles are a basic property of the engine (it's how the graphics are set up, how the maps are set up, how pathfinding is based on, etc).

 

Stacks, that might be more doable though I'd still see it requiring some poking at since currently there's nothing at all that only occupies one space exclusively and prevents movement into, notables not withstanding.

 

And in some cases, while I could see some major changes doable, the question is, is it practical? Someone who wants to turn Elemental in to a over-the-shoulder RPG with very little 4X gameplay and no features from Elemental at all? Might be possible but you'd be better off using a more general purpose engine.

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

For approximating hex movement, I was thinking a unit descriptor would provide what directions it is capable of moving in: N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NE, and each of these directions could be either on or off for any given unit, limiting movement.  [If you look at chess pieces, they even have NNE, ENE, ESE, SSE, SSW, WSW, WNW and NNW for knights.]  I'm don't know what people would do with this - just that if the option is there, someone might find something very interesting to do with it.

 

Multiplicity - Control multiple PCs using one keyboard and mouse
Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

For example, currently there's some discussion over "stacks of doom" whether or not to have them. Is this moddable? Can every unit be retooled to occupy a square exclusively, so that some units will stack, while others won't?
End of quote

Nope. Even when stack is full, you can still move into same square and have 2, 3, 4 and so on stacks there.

EWoM is actually quite limited in terms of modding, since it does not support arbitrary scripting yet, and XML is just data, which is processed according to fixed rules. Maybe Python API will change that.

 

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

And here I thought this would be another thread about sexy female outfits or other perverted twists like multiple spouses... :( I am disappoint.

Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Actually, once the game gets a bit more open, I'm planning to add a "polygamous" trait to the faction attributes that will allow you to have multiple spouses.

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

What about an Easy Virtue trait?

Or a city improvement "Brothel"?

Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top

What about an Easy Virtue trait?
End of quote

Considering the going strategy is to marry the first opposite-gendered NPC you encounter, I think we already have this.

Reply #8 from Elemental Forums Top

for some reason, Progress Quest comes to mind.  :)  That might make a great mod!

 

Reply #9 from Elemental Forums Top

Yes!   A brothel where women can go and hire a little fun with those in the stable? 

Reply #10 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting ElanaAhova, reply 9
Yes!   A brothel where women can go and hire a little fun with those in the stable? 
End of ElanaAhova's quote

Nothing wrong with wanting something a little bigger....

Reply #11 from Elemental Forums Top

Just remember what Shrek said when he saw the Prince's castle and tall tower.