Re: [Adonthell-devel] controls, GUIs and stuff

[Kai Sterker]

On Wednesday 06 February 2002 00:59, you wrote:

> The buttons are:
>
> A     - attack / action / OK
> B     - jump / cancel
> C1    - custom button 1
> C2    - custom button 2
> ( C3  - custom button 3 (optional))
>
> 'Run'
> 'switch mode'
> 'switch character'
> 'menu'

Sounds okay.

> --- the menu ---

Nifty :). However, the actual text should be accompanied by icons as well.
If we do most of the stuff that way, we shouldn't make an exception for the 
menu.

> --- mapview ---

No complaints.

> --- weapons ---
>
> So, how does the fighting work?
> When you get a weapon it will initially have the most basic move you can
> make with it (on a sword it might be a slash, on a spear it might be a
> stab). This is what your character does when you press 'A' in weapon
> mode.

Right.

> Now, as discussed, you will be able to learn/buy new moves and combos
> throughout the game. How exactly this is done we can still decide but my
> favourite would be the special moves/combos can actually always be done
> manually (remember, forward, forward, 'jump' and 'A' :P) - but if you
> successfully do it in a training centre or school you get to save that
> combo and can in future use it by just pressing one button. That aside
> you should some way or other end up with combos and new attacks for each
> weapon. 

I'm not sure if it would work well that way around.

For one, you couldn't really prevent the player from learning all the moves 
he wants, any time he wants. If moves are handed out by the computer, it's 
easy to keep the awsome moves back for later stages of the game.

Next, I don't think we should make a difference between 'basic' and 'special' 
moves. To me, they are all basic, i.e. they result in one action. Whether 
that action is a simple slash or a powerful bihanded headcrusher doesn't 
matter.

All of them can be added to a combo, assuming you know the necessary 
transition between two moves. 

I think the player should begin with the ability to learn one combo, and has 
he increases his fighting skill, more slots are added. In the same fashion, 
combos might first allow to combine 3 moves and as skill increases, allow 
more fields.

The same would work for magic, thus limiting the ability of characters. You 
might get a good elven fighter who is a poor mage, or a mighty human 
alchemist who is a weak fighter. 

Back to the combos: I think you should be able to put them together via a 
menu, where you select from the different moves you have. Then you can assign 
a combo to one of the C keys.

At the same time, *after* you learned a move, you should be able to perform 
it in battle with the right key combination. (forward, forward, 'jump' and 
'A'). That way, people like you, who like more action during combat could 
fight 'manually', whereas others (like me ;)) could build some good combos 
and use those instead.

After all, highest priority is to let people chose how they want to play the 
game. That way, we could please both player types to a certain degree. 

Besides, I would find it very odd if the teacher told me:
"Now, my alcolyte, I'll show you how to cut your foe into 3 pieces with a 
single stroke. The secret is hitting forward, forward, 'jump' and 'A'."



> During a fight (or just generally on the map) you will always have your
> basic attack using 'A' and up to 3 combos on the 'C' buttons at your
> disposal. We can discuss if holding down those buttons charges your
> attacks a la SoM (I'm all for that idea, btw!)

Hm, I don't know if it's a good idea to have the basic attack on 'A'.
The harder the enemies get, the less useful that attack would be, and after 
some point it would be completely useless, meaning you've wasted a button.

> --- magic ---

> I liked Kai's ideas of schools of magic. This could be incorporated as
> follows. You go to such a school and practice your spell casting. It
> would be like learning a combo: a teacher tells you what to do (press
> this button, then this, then this). Once you have done it successfully
> you gain a new icon for that spell in your menu. Each school would have
> some basic elemental spell which would be the main icon (and goes on
> your 'A' button) and the spells you learn appear after that elemental
> spell and can be assigned to the 'C' buttons.

Well, basically the same objections as above.

Also, there seem to be somewhat different opinions about the magic system.
I'll post another mail summing everything up, so we can clarify this.

> --- items ---

Agreed.

Kai