Hi Everyone!
Malte and I were talking earlier today about how we could let players further personalize their characters.
Aside from just looks, this is a system we're working on developing in order to let players create the personalities of their dino.
There will be three parts to this from how it's worked out so far:
I will post the Part 1 of the character design into this post.
1) Choose your kind. Each kind has specific advantages and disadvantages. A brief list of these so far could include:
Longneck:
The longneck will have few strong strengths and weaknesses. They are the most rounded characters in the game, comparable in a way to the "human" in fantasy RPGs.
That being said, here are some ideas for their inherant traits:
Physical:
Large
Moderately high strength
Moderately high HP
Moderately low Energy
Moderately high Stamina
Inventory:
Back - Able to carry two large items on their back, or a 3rd large item if a small dino is riding on their back to balance it.
Mouth - Able to carry two light objects in their mouth.
Personality:
-Quite friendly but capable of being aggressive. Cannot achieve moderate, but not intense, levels of aggression or friendliness. Tends to be more friendly than aggressive.
Fears:
Water - Moderate
Fire - Moderate
The Dark - Moderate
Heights - Moderate
Special ability:
The most team-oriented species. Longnecks love to work with others and are normally very likable. They are able to inspire their group, slightly (say, 10%) increasing the movement speed of everyone in the group as long as they are present. This ability can stack up to 3 times. This means that every longneck up to 3 will increase the speed of the whole group, but adding a 4th longneck will have no effect.
Threehorn:
Threehorns are first and foremost famous for their exceptional strength at a young age. They are known to have strong relationships with each other, though less so for dinosaurs of other kinds. Some threehorns would go as far to travel alone than travel with a dinosaur who is not a threehorn.
Physical:
Large
High Strength
Low Energy
Moderately high HP
Moderate Stamina
Inventory:
Back - Able to carry two large items on their back, or a 3rd large item if a small dino is riding on their back to balance it.
Mouth - Able to carry two light objects in their mouth.
Personality:
Relatively aggressive. While they are capable of intelligent conversation, their somewhat gruff attitude can make them somewhat unliked by some of the more sensitive members of the population. Not the best choice when delicate conversation is the key to solving a problem but the player is able to tweak their aggression level a bit to reduce this if desired.
Threehorns are good at pretending not to be afraid...sometimes they even convince themselves! As a result, they have relatively few fears on their own and even fewer in a group.
Fears:
Water - Low-moderate
Fire - Low
The Dark - Low-moderate
Heights - low-moderate
Special Ability: Threehorns are fearless and this shows, especially in groups! Any dinosaur travelling in a group with a threehorn will have their fears reduced. Any other threehorns in the group will receive double the effect. As a result, a few threehorns together truly will be fearless!
NOTE: Having your fear reduced does NOT make it harder to get to the adrenaline status. It does, however, protect you from panicking, making this ability very useful.
This ability can stack indefinitely, even reducing the chance of being panicked to 0%.
Swimmer:
Swimmers are typically the gentle, nimble dinosaurs who can scamper around quickly and quietly. They're often seen in large numbers together and will happily work with anybody.
Physical:
Small
Low Strength
Low HP
High Energy
Moderately Low Stamina
Inventory:
Hands - Able to carry four small objects, two slightly larger objects or 1 moderately-heavy object in their hands.
Mouth - Able to carry two light objects in their mouth.
Personality:
Very friendly and the most likely dinosaur to be able to gain the trust and help from NPCs (in general). Their lack of aggression can be their downfall when dealing with more rough dinosaurs in debates, arguements or even conversation, but when asking a favour, there's no better species for the job.
Fears:
Water - Very low (only waters too fast or dangerous for the swimmer)
Fire - Moderate
The Dark - High
Heights - High
Special Ability:
Most dinosaurs on an adventure will love having a swimmer around, as they tend to keep the trip enjoyable, no matter the circumstances. The swimmer's outgoing nature will keep the rest of the group engaged in the journey and the moment, improving the stamina and energy of the group by a percentage.
Here is an idea I have for the calculations for this ability:
The % of increased stamina and energy is equal to 2x the size of the group. For a group of 2, everyone gains 4% more stamina and energy. In a group of 3, everyone gains 6% more stamina and energy, up to a maximum of 20%.
Adding a second swimmer to the group doubles the effect (to 4x the size of the group). Adding a 3rd swimmer will add another group member to the effect but won't triple the effect.
In other words, the ability stacks up to 2 times to a maximum effect of 20% per group.
Flyer:
Flyers are the only dinosaurs who can take to the skies and love every minute of it. They tend to be timid until they're in their own environment, where they flourish. They can be found in both large and small groups and are content in both. They do, however, prefer to have a companion rather than be alone.
Physical:
Small
Low Strength
Low HP
High Energy
Low Stamina
Inventory:
Hands - Able to carry two small objects, two slightly larger objects or 1 moderately-heavy object in their hands.
Mouth - Able to carry three light objects in their mouth.
Personality:
Moderately friendly, with a healthy hint of aggression when needed. Unlike a longneck, however, a flyer is generally less successful in intimidating its rival and tend to stick to more friendly conversation.
Overall Less aggressive than a longneck but more aggressive than a swimmer.
Fears:
Water - very high
Fire - high
the dark - moderately high
heights - low, early game. None at higher levels.
Special Ability:
Probably something to do with improving the group's vision.
Spiketail:
Spiketails are best known for their incredible ability to find (and consume!) green food. Beyond that though, they are generally quiet, gentle creatures, but are perfectly capable of being very impressive leaders. They are most often seen in a herd, preferring to mingle with their own kind but willing to work with others almost as easily as a longneck.
Physical:
Large
Moderately high Strength
High HP
Low Energy
Very high stamina
Inventory:
Back - Able to carry three relatively large items on their back, or a 4th large item if a small dino is riding on their back to balance it.
Mouth - Able to carry two moderate objects in their mouth.
Personality:
Spiketails are great conversationalists, similar to the longneck, but more capable of aggression. They can cover a wide range of the spectrum from friendly chatter to fight-inducing threats.
Fears:
water - moderately high
fire - moderately high
the dark - moderately high
heights - moderately high
Special Ability:
This is a very special ability because the spiketail hates to use it...but because of their eating habits when times are good, they are able to last an excessively long period of time without eating if necessary. They are also able to consume some of their stamina to gain temporary resistance to heat or cold if the environment is too much for them.
Applies only to oneself so stacking is not applicable to this ability.
Fast Runner:
Physical:
Medium (or Large, if we decide not to use Medium)
Moderately low HP
Moderate Strength
High Energy
High Stamina
Inventory:
Hands - Able to carry two moderately heavy objects, one heavier object or four light objects in their hands.
Mouth - Able to carry one light object in their mouth.
Personality:
Fast Runners are excellent survivors on their own or in small groups. They are rarely seen in large groups but are known to work together happily with creatures of every kind (even sharpteeth!). They are very friendly, comparable to the swimmer in this sense. They are less sensitive than the swimmer, however, and can be a little tougher to provoke.
Fears:
Water - moderate
Fire - moderate
The Dark - moderate
Heights - moderate
Special Ability:
The fast runner is able to enjoy a varied diet, able to consume eggs or even insects if the situation demands it.
Applies only to oneself so stacking is not applicable to this ability.
