Make water not sinking deep by default

[Canderel]

By default when you hit a water square, you start using/losing air... Whilst in fact your head should be above the waterlevel.

Currently however water doesn't slow or influence most stuff, but you could slow from square 1, but only start using air when you are 2-3 squares away from the "edge".

Obviously Lake nur would use air almost immediately, and that is the most water I've come accross (so far in the game), but this should fix the issue of Bill's inability to swim too...

[Grey]

I think there needs to be a differentiation between deep water (in which you can suffocate) and shallow water, which might have other effects like slowing and reducing attack/defence.

[Sirrocco]

If you have to swim to keep your head above the water level, then you're still effectively losing "air" - eventually you'll lose the ability to stay afloat, and your struggles to do so will make the drowning that follows that much quicker. On the other hand, drowning in hip-deep water is still a bit silly. I certainly have no objection to the concept of handling it in different ways - I just note that there are a lot of pitfalls in implementation to avoid when doing so.

[TheRani]

Maybe you could start losing Stamina (to represent energy spent on swimming) before you start losing air?

[Sirrocco]

This would mean that stamina-based classes were completely horked in aqutic dungeons - and other classes just wouldn't care.

[Freddybear]

What about making water tiles give xx% extra fatigue? That would affect casters more than it would stamina-using classes.

Stamina users already have a disadvantage in water, unless they have water-breathing equipment, since they cannot rest long enough in air bubbles to restore stamina.

[TheRani]

I like this fatigue idea better than my stamina idea. We really do need a stamina-regen infusion though.

[Postman]

I'd suggest fatigue affecting air loss speed very strongly. That way heavy armor classes would sink fast, and lightly armored will keep on surface for a while, which would add to game atmosphere.

[Reverend Bizarre]

Also, air loss can be somewhat lowered by constitution. I guess that sounds rather logical.