Jump to content
The Dark Mod Forums

A Light Crystal


Darkness_Falls

Recommended Posts

I don't like the thought of our thief lugging a lantern around, so I tried to devise something that's not as clunky. I know some of you out there probably don't want more crystal things, but alas.

 

If you could imagine our thief carrying a pocket full of little sticks and some crystals, when he needs light he could just attach the two together and voila... LIGHT! The light it gives off could be uneven, in that it could maybe flicker in and out a little like a flame, or something else...

 

I think it would be neat to see the thief using these to light his way a little. Not too bright, not too dim. It's subtle, like a glow. It's lightweight and more of a tool a nimble thief would use.

 

The crystal would only last about 15-20 seconds and then it goes out and you have to drop the stick/crystal on the ground. If a guard is coming and you need the light to go out right away, then you need to drop it or throw it against a wall. In doing so, it will give a gentle and pleasing glass shatter noise and extinguish.

 

LightCrystal.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just looked at it again, and see it can kind've be an optical illusion. When viewing the image, note that the stick that is holding the crystal is going nearly straight up, so the stick is actually shaped like that; it's not foreshortened into the distance. (Not sure how you were seeing it, but wanted to clarify.)

 

So, the tool is just a bit larger than a matchstick...as in, I dunno, 5 to 10 times larger than one? (I'm not good at size multipliers.) It's maybe 6 inches long, significantly smaller than what a standard mage wand would be.

 

To me, I see it as a match, only slightly bigger, yet crystallized. A match wouldn't be mage-like if crystallized, would it? Just curious; I'm not a mage expert. Is it the size/shape that's mage-like, iyo, or just the fact that it's a crystal giving off light?

 

PS: That's a good thought, too, NH. Not my preference, but with this vs. a lantern I'd be more okay with the limitless light thing.

 

PPS: A lantern is too 'miner' for me. Our thief's not a miner.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it's an elegant and straightforward way to answer our Thief's portable lighting problem. All his arrows are based on some sort of elemental crystal, why can't he have a crystal lightsource?

 

We could place the crystal in something like a canister or lantern for the more technically oriented people around here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I were a thief in Victorian times, I'd take a lantern. Being forced to take a magic light crystal instead would detract from the immersion for me. Just stating opinion here.

 

Even if magic crystals existed, not being a magician, I'd rather trust my life to a straightforward lantern than a magic crystal that might start glowing at the wrong moment or explode or who knows what it's going to do, it's magic. It would be like trying to use a magic "scroll of knockout" instead of using a straightforward and trustworthy blackjack.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No problem Ish. I know what you're saying. For me, though, lanterns would be immersion killing because I'd be wondering why a master thief is taking a lantern around, when more sophisticated and/or discreet tools are available to him.

 

A match would even be better than a lantern, imo. In complete darkness, matches actually illuminate quite an area. Aside from what we know by candlelight when the power goes out, this was made more apparent to me when I went hundreds of feet into an electrically lit cave and then came to a big open cavern. They turned out all the electrical lights so it was completely dark, and then lit a match. You might be surprised how much light a single match can give off in complete darkness. The cavern dimly illuminated and we could see creepy shadows everywhere.

 

As for the Victorain reference: we're not just speaking of Victorian times; we're speaking of the Thief universe, where technology and magic are available to us. You probably don't want the crystal arrows, LED-lit mines, steampunk designs, mages and undead walking around either. That's fine; I know where you're coming from. But this is a Thief-spin off. Not a true-to-Victorian-times sim.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

only problem is that if the thief can get those light crystals then probably the city should use some too as lightsource

or maybe we can put some background behind it saying that its very rare, the one the thief carries is an unique piece of crystal

 

 

/btw it looks like a candy(lolli:) ):) because of the stick:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It looks like a wand, for starters. Secondly, if he wants to use a crystal for light he can always draw a fire arrow.

 

And Atti is right, if the thief has some, why aren't they in common use? Everyone needs light, unlike noise arrows.

 

It's pointless to invent new gadgets when existing equipment will do. Anyone having a problem the size of a lantern must be willfully ignoring the size of the thief's regular equipment. A half dozen flashbombs take up the same amount of space, as would three potion bottles or two mines. The player regularly carries that much and more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All his arrows are based on some sort of elemental crystal, why can't he have a crystal lightsource?

He did in T3 - just draw the fire arrow and keep it held back without letting go :)

 

I agree with Spring that we shouldn't invent new gadgets if we can help it - it does beg the question why the thief is the only one with it. I like seeing my tools available to other characters in the game, makes me feel more a part of the world than a special person that the world centers around.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fire arrows were rare and/or hard to get in T2. They're not always available and you don't always have one in inventory.

 

I could use a similar argument against any other light source we come up with (lantern, matches, flashlight, glowstick), in that fire arrows, torches and bioluminescent mushrooms are available for him to use.

 

The thief had mines, slowfall potions and other tools, but no other characters did in T2. I guess I don't see the big deal.

 

I like having a few unique items, it makes me feel like I had access to some underground sources to come up with some neat stuff to be a better thief than the average one. Why was I not being clobbered with moss and fire arrows, oil flasks and flashbombs in T3 if they should be available to everyone?

 

Again, you're excusing the use of the lantern by explaining that we're allowing large quantities of other equipment to be in his possession. This isn't an apples-to-apples argument. Quantity has little to do with size. Yes, you can add up 20 mines and say he wouldn't be able to easily conceal or carry them all, so in this respect it becomes a size issue. But that's not exactly the same, imo, as carrying large objects to begin with. A thief wouldn't normally carry objects like a lantern as part of his toolsset, as a general rule of thumb -- if he could just use fire arrows, a small crystal, matches, a candle, or whatever. The problem with open flame, though, is that they give off smoke, which would alert people in real life. A light crystal wouldn't

 

Unfortunately, holes can be punched into any argument you or I can come up with.

 

I have no problem with crystals being used as a source of light in the city, to line walkways and the such. Is that wrong? Maybe it's just because I have a fascination with light... LEDs and the such.

 

I believe there were glowing crystals used in T2 anyways, like in the caverns and caves. So it's not that big of stretch.

 

It was just an idea.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It has to do with the setting for me. I thought we had decided on some magic, but fairly uncommon magic, and an industrial revolution in steampunk technology. If the whole city was lit by magic light crystals, this would seem to be a more high fantasy, magic is common setting. Why would people even bother inventing power lines and street lamps if they can light everything easily with magic crystals?

 

I like light too, don't get me wrong, and I could see maybe a mage's tower being lit by strange crystals. Or even the street lamps having "magic" crystals that "magically" light up when you "magically" run an electrical current through them. But having magic crystals that create their own infinite energy scattered everywhere in even the most common areas of the city just doesn't jive with the gritty industrial revolution feel of the rest of the setting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recent Status Updates

    • Ansome

      Finally got my PC back from the shop after my SSD got corrupted a week ago and damaged my motherboard. Scary stuff, but thank goodness it happened right after two months of FM development instead of wiping all my work before I could release it. New SSD, repaired Motherboard and BIOS, and we're ready to start working on my second FM with some added version control in the cloud just to be safe!
      · 1 reply
    • Petike the Taffer  »  DeTeEff

      I've updated the articles for your FMs and your author category at the wiki. Your newer nickname (DeTeEff) now comes first, and the one in parentheses is your older nickname (Fieldmedic). Just to avoid confusing people who played your FMs years ago and remember your older nickname. I've added a wiki article for your latest FM, Who Watches the Watcher?, as part of my current updating efforts. Unless I overlooked something, you have five different FMs so far.
      · 0 replies
    • Petike the Taffer

      I've finally managed to log in to The Dark Mod Wiki. I'm back in the saddle and before the holidays start in full, I'll be adding a few new FM articles and doing other updates. Written in Stone is already done.
      · 4 replies
    • nbohr1more

      TDM 15th Anniversary Contest is now active! Please declare your participation: https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/22413-the-dark-mod-15th-anniversary-contest-entry-thread/
       
      · 0 replies
    • JackFarmer

      @TheUnbeholden
      You cannot receive PMs. Could you please be so kind and check your mailbox if it is full (or maybe you switched off the function)?
      · 1 reply
×
×
  • Create New...