Oly: changes I'd like to see for G2

From: bill@rses.vuw.ac.nz (Bill Viggers)

Date: Tue, 03 Oct 1995 00:00:00 +0000

In article <44oovaINN9h1@retriever.cs.umbc.edu>, schott@cs.umbc.edu (Brian Schott) writes:
|> It is interesting that you point out that in Hades where there is a
|> limit on the number of men stronger units are useful.  Maybe a similar
|> limitation (number of men in a single stack) would help outside Hades?

Nice point, I hadn't though of it that way.  Maybe better than putting
	an absolute stack limit would be putting in a limit of men/beasts per
	noble?  Hopefuly there would be some kind of skill that would let this
	be increased slowly (using current experience system).

Maybe I should rephrase that.  Nobles should be able to have as many
	men/beasts/whatever in their inventory as they like, but they should
	only be able to _use_ a certain number of them.

|> Another idea is to allow Knights to act as independent units sort of
|> like NPCs with a *very* limited set of orders (move, attack, explore,
|> seek, etc.)  Combine this with the idea of limiting the number of men
|> in a stack that can participate in an attack and you add depth to the
|> game.

Bad move!
	This lets big factions grow much much faster.  Your nobles produce
	lots of knights who get go and scout out where the interesting places
	are.

As I'm on this thread anyway, I had may as well put forwards my wish list
	for Game 2.

1: Roads.  Back when the olympia-discussion list was running I put in a
		proposal for roads.  I guess Rich has it archived away somewhere.
		I'd like to see some sort of roads able to be built.  On the
		subject of building roads, why is it knowledge of construction
		allows people to build towers/temples/inns/etc without learning
		specific sub skills.  Castle building for instance should probably
		be subject to RESEARCH.  That one simple change would have slowed
		down the AOO in G1.
	2: Limits on beastmastery.  Personally I like the 'in season' idea, but
		whatever.  Beats USED in battle should not be able to be CAPUTRED
		in battle.  (this might already be the case but I don't think it
		was origionally).
	3: Experience should make a bigger difference in mining.  Currently it
		does the regular shortening of days.  I think a grand master miner
		should be able to pull more iron/gold/mithril/whatever from a
		mine than an apprentice should.  Maybe not much more, but there
		should be a difference.
		Actually, experience should make a bigger difference in most skills,
		at the moment the only skill I can think of where experience makes
		any difference (other than time taken to use the skill) is in
		detecting gates.  Now I don't know all the skills in the game, I do
		know 53 of them however (4th place for those interested).  I use
		only a very small subset of those skills.  Other people with a
		little more experience might want to prove me wrong here.
	4: Religions, How about priests having skills specific to their religion?
		Religion is really a pretty understated part of Olympia at the
		moment, priests are just mages with different spells who don't
		have to worry about aura.  More priestly spells and limits on
		which ones you can learn based on the religion you belong to.
	5: Magic.  Gatemastery seems to be virtually unused.  With the dreaded
		AOO occuping both hades and Faerie I guess this might change,
		but at the moment at any rate gatemastery seems to be a very
		second rate school of magic.  Having been looking for gates from
		the start of the gate, and exchanging data with over twenty other
		players, I know of 27 different gates.  While I guess there are
		some people out there who know more than me, I think I'm probably
		pretty near the top in gate knowledge.  Yet people don't actually
		USE the gates (as far as I know).  Small steps like reducing the
		amount of aura it takes to use a gate might help here, I don't know.
	6: Skills.  I think it would be neat if cities only taught a single skill.
		Thus in order to know about combat and forestry and mining and
		stealth a noble would be forced to visit at least four different
		cities.  This makes travel and exploration much more important.
		Putting limits of those old books so they deteriate after a while
		and have a chance of falling to pieces would also be a good move.
	7: Wagons.  Another proposal from way back.  A wagon would behave much
		as does a ship, but on land rather than the sea.  This allows
		one noble to concentrate on the movement, while others can work
		on things like study.  I can't remember who came up with this idea
		either, but I like it.

Oh well, that should be enough for people to pull apart for a few days.

References

OLY: breaking Beastmastery
pepper@smead.ecn.purdue.edu (Pierre H Pero)
Tue, 19 Sep 1995 00:00:00 +0000
Re: OLY: breaking Beastmastery
desj@ccr-p.ida.org (David desJardins)
Tue, 19 Sep 1995 00:00:00 +0000
Re: OLY: breaking Beastmastery
gl8f@fermi.clas.Virginia.EDU (Greg Lindahl)
Sun, 01 Oct 1995 00:00:00 +0000
Re: OLY: breaking Beastmastery
schott@cs.umbc.edu (Brian Schott)
Mon, 02 Oct 1995 00:00:00 +0000

Referenced By

OLY: breaking Beastmastery
pepper@smead.ecn.purdue.edu (Pierre H Pero)
Tue, 19 Sep 1995 00:00:00 +0000
Re: OLY: breaking Beastmastery
desj@ccr-p.ida.org (David desJardins)
Tue, 19 Sep 1995 00:00:00 +0000
Re: OLY: breaking Beastmastery
gl8f@fermi.clas.Virginia.EDU (Greg Lindahl)
Sun, 01 Oct 1995 00:00:00 +0000
Re: OLY: breaking Beastmastery
schott@cs.umbc.edu (Brian Schott)
Mon, 02 Oct 1995 00:00:00 +0000