ARENA: Techniques proposal

From: euaahg@eua.ericsson.se (Anders Hallberg)

Date: Thu, 22 Dec 1994 13:35:40 +0000

I have mailed this to Scott.  I post here for discussion.

The way I would like techniques to work in ARENA
================================================

A technique gives a skill or damage bonus.

Techniques are developed via the RESEARCH command.  A limited amount
of gold (e.g. 25 per day) can be put into research of a given
technique each day.  When you are done researching a technique you use
the FINISH command and its bonus is determined by the amount of money
invested and the type (e.g. skill=money/50, damage=money/75).  Damage
techniques are more costly.  There is a limit on how much money you
can put into rsearch of a given technique (enough to get 5%).

You specify which techniques to use in a given fight and round with
the TACTICS command.  You can thus vary which techniques you use in
different stages of a fight.  You can only use a limited amount of
techniques in a given round (e.g. 3).

Techniques are not effective against someone who knows them but will
*always* be effective against someone who doesn't.

You may learn techniques by having someone using them against you as
before.  This is modified by how many rounds they were used in the
fight and your perception stat.

You may also learn them with the LEARN command in which case they will
cost as much as the development cost.  Alternatively they could cost
some fraction of the development cost which is given to the developer
of the skill.  Another alternative is that you can only use the LEARN
command if someone who knows the technique has issued a TEACH command.
The teacher gets the gold.

If you have used a technique and your opponent knew it, you will be
informed of that fact after the fight.

Research example:
	1 research thrust riposte "The Ziplock Sting"
	You have put 25 gold into [424242] The Ziplock Sting (thrust riposte,
	0% damage bonus)

....much later

1 research 424242
	You have put 250 gold into [424242] The Ziplock Sting (thrust riposte,
	5% damage bonus)

2 finish 424242
	[424242] The Ziplock Sting (thrust riposte, 5% damage bonus) is now
	available for use.

Tactics example:

Techniques:
	[424242] The Ziplock Sting (thrust riposte, 5% damage bonus)
	[474747] The Ziplock Swing (thrust riposte, 5% bonus)
	[111111] Ludd's Lurch (thrust parry, 3% bonus)
	[222222] Fast Feint (thrust parry, 2% bonus)

tactics
	1-6 : 222222 111111
	7- : 111111 424242 474747
end

Hold back on the good techniques until the end of the fight.  If you
can beat someone in 6 rounds he will never get a chance to learn your
best techniques.
--
\Anders Hallberg