Sotha
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Posts
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Joined
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Days Won
138
Posts posted by Sotha
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-Ouch!
I need to think twice before buying that one.
I must say your text was nice and entertaining to read though.
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This is why it's important to be individual and not care about anyone else.
Life has preordained that you be a worthless little cog in the machine, your purpose being to serve the greater good of your species as a whole. Your individual life is not meant to have any significance in and of itself.
So you say you are an individualist, who doesen't give a damn about anything. But here you are: a part of a community forging a game modification together. You've even contributing a lot to the project. You are an asset to us. (And a good one indeed.) You're a cog in a great machine, serving the greater good of the community. I might believe that you even care if this mod succeeds of not.
You speak of you being different in these kind of things, but still your behavior signals otherwise. I'd say it's a bit contradicting, which implies you're probably speaking about these things only for a show.
So I'll take this life that was forced upon me and work out a way of living it that seems fitting to ME, not anyone else.-This is entirely normal behavior for most of the people. You've selected to participate in this project, just as I did. Nothing special here.
Somehow, whatever it is, it all leads back to the eternal struggle of the individualist, heroic Ubermensch against the pathetic Last Men trying to pull him down by tempting him with the road of lazy conformism.
Yes, indeed. He has read his Nietzsche, too bad it is standard school stuff. -
I know you and sparhawk are going to claim to be individuals and different from each other, but what is different about your lives are quite trivial details, your thinking diverges away from one at other only at the highest level, so you end up being two different sized apples on the same tree, while my thinking diverges away at root level, so I'm a different kind of fruit on a separate tree.
I'm not claiming my thinking is better either, only that it's different. It's like saying a pear is better than an apple, it wouldn't make any sense.
-Good grief, man!
Here you are, rambling on and on about your fundamentally different way of thinking, but still the biggest difference I see between your posts and ours is your incomprehensibly negative attitude, which seem to govern a large portion of your personality.
There seems to be no fundamental difference in your thinking, other that you want to only see the dark side of things. Nothing new there.
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I enjoy arguing. It's nice to take little breaks from sculpting to argue now and again.
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Just because I don't get enjoyment from the same neanderthal things as you, doesn't mean that I'm not getting pleasure and satisfaction from life.
So, arguing about something petty (in this case declaring yourself to be superior to other people mainly because you have a negative personality) is not classified as neaderthal-type of enjoyment? But sure, I'm not familiar with neaderthal behavior and obviously it appears to be your speciality.
Ha, well at last you're getting my point - I don't want to be an average human. You're better off not existing at all than being average. What's the point, if a million other people have almost identical thoughts and lives to you?These are deliberate decisions I've made as I've approached and passed the age of 30. I've really changed a lot since my younger days, and for the better.
-So you're being difficult only because you have some kind of weird compulsion to be detached from general social norms. I never thought that being a weirdo is an active choice, people usually end up in that sorry state by some terrible mishap in their lives.
I'm absolutely sure that there are a lot of people like you, but you are of course free to think that you are special and unique from the rest of us gray average joes, if it makes you feel better. Maybe your delusions make your life more tolerable, preventing you from going totally haywire.
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What's the difference?
The tone of the definition of course. Abnormality has a negative ring to it and a strongly individual sounds better.
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No, I genuinely hate this shit.
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Pathetic.
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Selfish AND hypocrites, and you wonder why it irritates me so much.
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I generally do not behave in the same way, or even think in the same way as others.
I despise the very idea of behaving in the same socially programmed way as the masses.
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The fact is that ignorant, thoughtless people are the happiest in the world, and 'grumpy' people tend to be people who think about things, because when you actually think about things, and see things for real, and don't just float though life ignoring everything you don't want to see, you realise it's all a big heap of shit.
You seem to be so full of hate and negative attitude that you could burst any minute. Have you ever considered that you don't generally behave in the same way as others because you appear to have a generally more negative personality?
Normal people are not nearly as hostile as you appear to be. It's better to be a 'strongly individual' person than an 'abnormal' one. You even attempt to use your hostility to make you seem clever and the rest of the world 'ignorant', that is hardly enlightened behavior in my view.
It's actually rather sad. I truly feel sorry for you, as I can only imagine how dark and terrible it might feel to think the way you do. But still I'm truly happy that I'm not like you and there are no people like you among my friends.
You may attach The Hypocrite sticker on me if you want.
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Feeling sad because somebody has been diagnosed with a serious illness (and they will have to suffer the consequences) is not quite the same as grief that somebody has died (and is not suffering in any way -- it is only you that is suffering the loss). The former is simple empathy.
Yep. And it seems as if some people are incapable to have empathy. It is probably okay as people are really different from each other.
I don't know Pratchett in any way (except his marevellous books) but still, it is sad to hear he's got a serious illness I wouldn't like even my worst enemies to have.
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Cozy. I've got one of those in my bedroom....
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Welcome!
Keep up the good work and don't mind the nitpicking.
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Oh, I agree with that completely, but that's not the definition of 'ghosting' that I'm used to seeing. I thought ghosting meant not using any tools or leaving any trace of your presence. The mapper has to go out of his way if they want to make sure that's possible, which I don't personally like.
-Really? We should write some kind of glossary to get our terminology right, as I thought ghosting means that no one sees you.
It would be a bore if there was always a guaranteed no-tools no-trouble entry in our maps.
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Use Marble sparingly - It may look good on the floor but marble makes a hell of a lot of noise underfoot and sneaking very difficult. The player shouldn't have to travel everwhere at a snail's pace just because you want to the floor looking nice and shiny. Gameplay is more important than looks, as the thief games can attest to. Put a rug down or something.
It should be ghostable - The mission should be completable without requiring the player to be seen by any hostile AI.
One should use marble realistically: such stone surely gets awfully cold during the night and especially during the winter. That's why there is usually carpets on the stone. Some non-living areas might not be equipped with rugs, but probably there aren't many guards there. (So gameplay-friendly choices can easily be realistic ones.)
I don't think every mission should be ghostable as such. It is, however, good if the players cleverness can yield a ghostable result. For example luring the guard watching a map-bottleneck door away with a noise arrow. Bottleneck areas should be commonly avoided, but is very uncommon to have a high-security bank vault with multiple ways in, so surely those bottlenecks will be present in many maps. And it is okay.
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WARNING: ConvertLWOToModelSurfaces: model models/darkmod/nature/trees/tree_dm.lwo has too many verts for a poly! Make sure you triplet it down
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Don't drown the player - Don't require the player to swim through a underwater cavern before his breath runs out, then present him with two or more tunnels, all but one of which lead to a dead end and certain death.
-Heh. I'm going to directly violate this rule.
TEASER
Exploring the flooded sewers can be and is perilous.. Oh, unless you have.. you know, a map.
And the player doesen't even need to go there to complete the mission.
@Springheel:
Those are the words of wisdom.
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Yikes, I really like what you've got there. Two days? Are you applying? You should be.
-Agreed. He rocks!
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The bottom line is, do we want to make our vision or do we want to entertain as many players as possible? I'm not sure it is possible to do both.I wouldn't be willing to compromise my vision to make a simpler mission. Both of my designed missions will not be completable by someone who isn't paying attention.
-I think this problem has a suprisingly easy solution. Use common sense. If you put a monster puzzle to solve with an illogical answer and very little amount of good clues to solve it, it is a mapper's design error.
If the puzzle is really tough, place vague clues in obvious places and place a good clue in a well-hidden place. If the player gets bored with the puzzle and starts to explore the map, he'll find more clues to make the solving process easier.
Always give the player options. If a player cannot solve a clockwork puzzle locking the door to the master's bedroom, let him smash the door. He'll cause an alarm and will definately not attain Master Thief -rank from the mission, but he's still able to continue the mission.
Generally, solving puzzles should not be bottlenecks stopping the player making progress, but they should reward the player for solving them in some way: silent entry, loot, gear, way to avoid guards...
The mapper can use bottleneck puzzles, but then he should really think it through, and use them sparingly. Getting absolutely stuck on the third 10x10 button puzzle in the same mission, without a way around it and with insufficient clues can be very frustrating. I'd be a shame for the mapper too, if his great work was abandoned simply because of a too difficult puzzle.
I'd like to comment some other replies in this thread with the following:
This is not about being right or wrong; winning and losing an argument. This is about opinion. Everyone has one. People should respect each other's opinions. They can agree or disagree to your views: there is no reason to get twitchy.
Present new ideas. Discuss previous ideas. Refine old ideas into new ones. Add an explanation for your opinions. Don't get personal (you can get personal in a nice way, if you want..
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But your comment about setting a default standard is also valid. Let's see what others think.
As a mapper, I'd like to have both static and moveable loot since it offers more possibilities.
All the objects in the real world are (more or less) moveables, but still some of them can only be moved with fine manipulation, for example a trophy caught up in a fishing net. Firing an arrow on it will not make it come loose, but a moveable loot in the game might fall on the ground.
However, we should include a recommendation to generally use moveables in our modding instructions.
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Yes. Let's leave the factions in peace (if you want, you could open another thread for it) and go back towards the original topic: the recipe for a good mission.
We mappers might get excellent ideas from each other, or from the community eagerly waiting for TDM.
Ladies and gentlemen, the floor is yours!
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What is realism? In my opinion, it should be avoided in its traditional meaning! Players often expect a wish to have, say, a "realistic" city district where they could "break into every house". But a mission like that would be very boring: most realistic houses aren't too interesting. Realistic mediaeval/Victorian cities or mansions don't let you do all that fun climbing. What we need, instead, is maybe a suggestion of reality, but always filtered through the lens of interesting.
-I definately wouldn't like to be able to break in every house of a map, so we are mostly in agreement.
What I mean by realistic loot placement is the following:
-Loot is relatively where it should be expected:
* in a display case in a place where visitors can envy the collection.
* a decorative vase on a table in a corridor.
* coins inside a locked chest.
* expensive wine in a locked wine cellar.
* a pouch of gems hidden in the corrupt guard captain's quarters.
-Loot placed unrealistically:
*fabulously expensive diamond in the raggy beggar's home.
*diamond ring inside a barrel sitting on a city street.
*lots of gold in the servant's quarters.
*coins on a table in a general corridor leading nowhere.
*expensive statue placed on a insignificant windowstill.
Unrealistic loot can be made realistic by adding a reason why they are there. Maybe the diamond ring was left in the barrel as a payment for some heinous deed. Player who found a blackmail note describing the deed can find it.
A FM author shouldn't use too much unrealistic loot.
I find it rather immersion breaking in -lets say- a shooter game in which I do some exploring and finally reach a small niche in the rooftops, where I locate......
...2 pistol clips!
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Multiple ways to enter a building/complete a mission - As well as adding to the replay factor it also gives the world a sense of freedom and makes it feel more like a real place than a linear game.
-Agreed. Give the player a map. Let him/her plan her route. Reward intelligent decisions. "Hmm. The map shows the main gate in and a servant's house. I could break an unattended window to enter, but that makes too much noise. I'll go through the servant's house, because the main gate is probably well guarded." Don't tell the player to go through the servant's house. Make options, let The Player choose! Reward going through a more difficult alternative: the player might hear the guards at the main gate talking about security systems, or might steal a key from the guards.
Story - A mission whould have a story, or a lot of little interwoven stories, even if the player isn't directly involved in it. You should be able to follow the lives of some characters through conversations and so on.-Agreed. I love to hear/read about the poor butler's bitter hate towards his master, but alas his daughter is in love with the master's son and he cannot but swallow his rage. However, stumbling into terrible secrets over and over and over again in
the same mission takes away the realism. Subplots are to be placed carefully, as most of the people live normal lives, one terrible secret in the main plot is the maximum.
A sense of discovery - The Indiana Jones effect of coming across a lost city, or even just finding that old trap door that Lord xxxx mentioned in his diary.Intelligent searching should -again- be rewarded. If there is slight hints that the builder priest is corrupt, player might locate a hidden treasure in his quarters. But not always.
A Living City - The city in which the game takes place is a living, breathing monster. You should be able to hear it groan and hum. It should feel like it's ancient even if you just created it five minutes ago.-Agreed. The City should have history, and the mapper should think about it. A central square or other kind of significant place should have a background. It is not just The Kings Square, but a square that was used for executions by the kings' command sixty seven years ago.
Anticipation - You should always give an inkling to the player of what his deistination or next task is, so that he has something to work towards.-Yes. Give a few hints of things to come. Corrupt the clues, do not give anything outright until the moment is correct.
A twist - The mission should always end up slighty different from what the player though it was going to be when he started. A good example is the Sword mission from TDP.-No. Sometimes a break-and-entry mission should be just a break-and-entry mission, with challenging and entertaining guards of course. It's rather boring if the player should always expect the unexpected.
Originality - There's always a place for a builder church or guarded mansion, but if you can create an entirely new faction or setting all the better. Again you can start them off thinking it's a standard mission, then chance tack.-I don't know. If so, the author should be very careful and think it through. And no, I would probably be bored if every mission introduces a new bunch of factions. Too much is too much.
Keep it human - Zombies and bug beasts have their place but try to break it up with some proper human interaction once in a while. See TDP for how not to do it.-Sometimes mixing zombies with humans is cool. T2 Thieves highway mission's necromancers tower. But not always.
Plenty of Sneaking - The Dark Mod at its core is a tight sneaking game and that's where the game gets a lot of it's tension too. Getting past the guards should be tough. Just running away from burricks and zombies through endless caverns is not sneaking.-Agreed.
Rewarding Loot - Every task completed should come with a quick reward for what you have done. In the old FPS games it was health & ammo, in the Dark Mod it's probably loot. Don't just throw it around where the player doesn't deserve it.-Loot should be placed realistically. It shouldn't always be behind loads of trouble.
Most importantly:
Keep the missions diverse.
Give the player options, with consequences.
Reward cunning players.
Do not lead the player by the nose.
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I liked the newspaper -type debriefing in the latest Hitman. After a mission the game described how the mission went in a form of a newspaper article. Too bad our timeline won't allow this. And to make it feel diverse and realistic enough, it would need a lot of work. Maybe if it was some kind of city watch report?
"The taffer knocked out 3 guards and stole XXX worth of valuables. Guards spotted the thief, sounded the alarm but couldn't catch him. Praised be the builder, for no one got killed during the villain's attack."
I like the idea of an overall performance grade, since it rewards careful and skillful gameplay:
Grandmaster Thief: 0 KO's, 0 kills, max AI alert level 1, 90% loot.
Master Thief: 0-1 KO's, 0kills, max AI alert level 2, 80% loot.
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Petty Thief: >5 KO's, 0 kills, max AI alert level 4.
Thug
Assailant: n KO's, >1 kills...
Murderer
Lunatic
Of course, these limits should be set by the mapper individally for a particlular mission.
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WARNING: ConvertLWOToModelSurfaces: model models/darkmod/waterworks/bathtub01.lwo has too many verts for a poly! Make sure you triplet it down
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Congrats!
Keep in mind, the older you are the faster years pass by.
Soon you'll be a zombie like the rest of us...
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Ok, the Decal patch creator is implemented now. Snapshot is on the way (in a few minutes), in case Sotha wants to test it out.
-Yay! Tested it. Nice, intuitive and fast decal adding system, very good. Thanks for bringing it available so quickly!
I've got another suggestion, but it is probably of relatively low priority. Some kind of WYSIWYG -readable editor. When writing readable books, there is the difficulty of estimating how much text fits "page1_left_body" and you have to change to "page1_right_body" and so on.
It very slow to make this kind of readables and always check in-game if the amount of text is correct.
The editor would let you select the gui you want, and then write in it. You could add pages into the editor and easily see, when a page is filled. The system would allow saving the data straight into the wanted xdata-file.
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Animals don't have wants, only needs.
You're deliberately misunderstanding just to be obtuse. You always do this. It's the most pathetic way of trying to win an argument.
-So you stand behind your claims only to attempt to win another argument, with no interest to discover real insight from this discussion?
Arguing about this is then futile, as no one is probably going to change their views or bring anything new to the table.
I recommend us to cease, since there is clear evidence that this "discussion" has now caused people to start denounce each other's personal traits or contributions to the discussion. This is the moment when one of the discussion's participants have failed grieviously.
Speaker radius
in DarkRadiant Feedback and Development
Posted
I looked at the newst snapshot. Still no speaker radius is visible.