Compacting equipment slots

[Atarlost]

I'm working on a module. I'm definately eliminating the shooter and tool slots. I'm still debating eliminating the light slot.

There will be no light sources beyond torches and lanterns. I'm also considering having torches and lamps seriously nerf your stealth, which will be extremely important to warriors.

If you could set lanterns on the floor and have them still give light would you be willing to drop them to fight or would you go play a different module?

[feathin]

I think the current way that a light slot is part of the equipment slots is realistic, even for using a torch or lantern. If it was acted out, that'd sort of be the way it plays out. It encompasses your idea that when fighting the light is put on the ground, but it just smoothes it over for the player. When actually running around the dungeon, you'd have your weapon sheathed or hung from your belt or over your shoulder or some such and lamp in hand. As soon as an enemy approaches, you put your light down and grab your weapon. Obvously during the fight you try to stay near your light, and if you have to move very far you move your light with you, but while moving it is easy enough to scoop up the lamp without sheathing the weapon and run a little ways. Part of the way that this all takes place in the background in the game is that each "square" that you fight on is actually a 50x50 foot square, not just space for your body. So in the much simplified fights, you're moving all around in that square.

So I don't really see a need, realistically anyway, to make this change. But to answer the question anyway: it would depend on the interface. If there was a single-keypress command to ditch the light and switch to weapon, perhaps. But probably not if you had to do "d/a/sw1/r" everytime an orc shows up. Okay well yeah it could probably all be done in a macro with inscriptions. And then "t1/rw-1/r" when standing on the light to weild it again.

[Yottle]

I agree with what feathin said about the not making game play it too difficult. I don't want to have to describe every action when it should be obvious what I want to do. The "drop light, wield weapon, unwield weapon, pick up light" sequence falls into that category for me.

I think that you should also penalize magic users for lighting up the level with Vision. It has never made sense to me that an orc will wake up when you read a scroll of light in a corridor but not notice it when you light the whole level. That ought to be the equivalent of reading a scroll of aggravate monster.

You could also have helms of light- similar to miner's helmets.

A torch (not a lantern) ought to be usable as a weapon- like a 1d1 club of fire. Hitting something with a one pound stick with fire on the end is going to do damage. This will also reduce the need for dropping it for every kobold.

If carrying a light decreases your stealth, then not carrying one should give invisibility (at least in the dark). Carrying a light should eliminate invisibility.

A torch or lantern on the ground should not have as big a light radius as one being carried.

[MrConceit]

I'm USED to not having a digger slot, that wouldn't affect me at all. Eliminating the shooter slot mildly confuses me. By that do you just mean you have to ready a melee weapon OR a shooter? I wouldn't have a problem with that I'm pretty sure. The light thing... I guess I agree with feathin about it excessively complicating the game. I don't care about not getting STATS from a light source, but if it is hugely complicated to move around because of this I wouldn't be happy.

[Atarlost]

I think that you should also penalize magic users for lighting up the level with Vision. It has never made sense to me that an orc will wake up when you read a scroll of light in a corridor but not notice it when you light the whole level. That ought to be the equivalent of reading a scroll of aggravate monster.

There will be no enlightenment in my module so that's not a concern.

You could also have helms of light- similar to miner's helmets.

I thought about that. Electric lamps are more advanced than I want available and oil lamps are too dangerous to wear on your head.


[quotet]A torch (not a lantern) ought to be usable as a weapon- like a 1d1 club of fire. Hitting something with a one pound stick with fire on the end is going to do damage. This will also reduce the need for dropping it for every kobold.[/quote]
Yes. If I use hands for lamps torches will be useable as weapons. They just won't be very good ones. Oh, and there won't be kobolds.


[quoteIf carrying a light decreases your stealth, then not carrying one should give invisibility (at least in the dark). Carrying a light should eliminate invisibility.[/quote]
Yes, being in the dark will make you invisible at least at a distance to monsters without infravision. There will be no conventional invisibility, though magic can be used to cloud the minds of small groups of foes for similar effect.

A torch or lantern on the ground should not have as big a light radius as one being carried.

It shouldn't, but it will. If I force you to set your lantern on the ground to fight I'm going to let it keep a useful light radius. There's a limit to how evil I intend to be about basic necessities like lighting.

[IckyThingBane]

Is setting your light down going to be a free action, like turning on continuum disruption? In certain situations you just cannot afford a wasted turn for messing about with equipment - I'm thinking water hounds or something of that ilk.

I guess it's not fair to comment without seeing the implementation, but I voted no because I'm lazy and don't think I could cope with any kind of high-maintenance lighting procedure. At the end of the day, I think of ToME as a game rather than a 'dungeon simulation', so I think putting down your light to fight crosses the line and starts sacrificing enjoyment for realism.

Good luck with it though, sounds like you're coming up with some very original ideas for your mod.

[LordBucket]

Dragonball T does this, and people seem to play it, so I don't think it will be too much of a problem. Codex will have magic, right? What about enchanted weapons that emit light? If the light situation is only an early game problem that people can overcome, it probably won't be a big deal.

Bucket Man

[Yottle]

...]You could also have helms of light- similar to miner's helmets.

I thought about that. Electric lamps are more advanced than I want available and oil lamps are too dangerous to wear on your head.
....

I think that miners used to routinely use oil lamps on their head. Of course I guess that it would have been pretty dangerous if the rocks were hitting back.