Playable characters and their abilities

[Malte279]

^ In general smaller characters (e.g. swimmers, flyers) should have an easier time when trying to hide, sneak etc. from a sharptooth.

[kjeldo]

two legged dinosuars can jump easily,

[Kor]

And throw things, though some 4 footers can use their tails for that, it's a different skill, I'd say.  Not sure if having hands is an ability or not.

[Serris]

The more full your energy bar, the shorter your healing time.
 

You mean like a food gauge like in Darkstone (old classic fantasy RPG I used to play) or Pokemon Mystery Dungeon?

I like that idea.

Here's my vision of how it would work:

The food gauge steadily depletes as you explore or do tasks. It can be replenished by eating green food, some green food fills it up more than others. Like Treestars will fill it very quickly, while the food on Chomper's Island will be less filling than others.

The food gauge depletes at a different rate and has a varying capacity for the classes. It depletes the slowest and is the largest in the Longneck class (large stomach and slow metabolism), it depletes the fastest and is the smallest in Flyers (small and very active, flight requires lots of energy). The other classes have depletion rates and gauge sizes between them. I am visualizing the guages as the same size (appearence wise) for all the classes, it's just the value that's different.

I don't know if the size and depletion rates should be modifiable or not.

The food gauge does affect the gameplay:

100% of gauge - abilities at max level (whatever level they have been leveled up to), healing is at max speed

75% of gauge - abilites at max level (whatever level they have been leveled up to), healing is slowed down slightly

50% of gauge - abilities drop 1 level from whatever level they have been leveled up to), healing is obviously slowed down

25% of gauge - abilities drop 3 levels from whatever level they have been leveled up to), healing ceases

0% of gauge (totally empty) - abilities revert to level 1, character takes damage

All level drops in abilites are temporary and will be reversed once the gauge passes the critical point.

Example:

Shorty with level 6 tail whip at with a full food gauge doesn't eat and his gauge becomes totally empty, he will now have a level 1 tail whip. Once he gets the gauge past 25%, he'll have a level 3 tail whip, once he reaches 50% of his gauge he will have a level 5 tail whip. Once he reaches 75% of his gauge, he will have his level 6 tail whip restored.

And throw things, though some 4 footers can use their tails for that, it's a different skill, I'd say. Not sure if having hands is an ability or not.

I don't think having hands should count as a skill.

But tail throw can be added in:

Tail Throw: All four-footers can learn this. Max level is only attainable by Longnecks (remember the prehensile tail)

The dinosaur uses its tail to throw an object at its target. This ability is not as accurate or as fast to use as the throw that two-footers can use, but it is capable of generating more power and throwing heavier objects.
 
At low levels, only small loose objects like loose rocks can be thrown. At max level, objects like small trees can be simultaneously ripped out and thrown (ala the Incredible Hulk).

BTW, how about a "Hidden Runner" class, like the one from the TV episode? He may have some special ability to appear invisible, when he stands still.

To be totally blunt, I REALLY don't like this idea. It seems to add too much of a "classic fantasy" feel (invisibility).

Although the inclusion of a "Hidden Runner" class as a Fast-Runner with enhanced sneaking abilities could work.

Iguanadons, which I guess would be called spikethumbs or similar may have a different ability due to their thumbs.

I think they should only get a bonus for object manipulation (+5% accuracy for vine throw, as an example) and throwing objects (enhanced accuracy, greater power, greater range or all of them)

[Kor]

Not sure about hidden runner, the one shown didn't seem to understand Cera, but for the game one maybe could say that one had a severe shyness or something.  A bonus to stealth or something that works only in areas with lots of plants like the Great Valley may make sense, if folks want them to be open as pc's.  Also if one looks one can see it, like Ruby was able to, and any sharptooth could find one with their sense of smell, though it may take longer if they can't see it as seen in some movies and tv episodes with the gang are hidden and the sharptooth takes a while to find them since it can't see them.

[Malte279]

Another ability for the longnecks may be that of "felling" small trees to open up new ways or the like (as demonstrated in LBT 2). I suggest longnecks to be the only ones who can actually bring down a tree while threehorns for example can only shake the leaves from their tops (as demonstrated by Cera in the intro of LBT 4).

[Kor]

It would seem that young domehead kids may not have that ability since we are shown, at least once, 1 of 2 domehead kids in 6 I think it was and they looked a bit small.  The ones who take Ducky's treestars in the tv episode The Cave of Many Voices may have been teenagers.

[Serris]

Another ability for the longnecks may be that of "felling" small trees to open up new ways or the like (as demonstrated in LBT 2). I suggest longnecks to be the only ones who can actually bring down a tree while threehorns for example can only shake the leaves from their tops (as demonstrated by Cera in the intro of LBT 4).

Couldn't the tail grab ability be used for this already?

[Malte279]

^ I guess there are overlappings between some ideas and some may have to be combined. I guess so far all suggestions are being gathered. Later on they probably have to be sorted out structured etc.

[Kor]

Not sure if strength is important in that but it's been shown that Spike is at least slightly stronger then Littlefoot.  Though in time Littlefoot will exceed Spike's strength.

[Malte279]

I guess I must come across as something of a hypocrite at the moment (or however you would want to call someone complaining about tons of work which don't really exist) for in spite of my ongoing complaining my current output of LBT drawings is really high. In my defense I must assure you that this work I'm complaining about really DOES exist. However, I also have to visit quite a few courses in which there won't be any exam or where I feel I really know my stuff. This leaves me some time to draw. Today I did some drafts for the swimmers that could appear in the game. I messed up the proportions (which more resemble that of a grownup rather than a kid) but the general idea of the characters' looks can still be seen. As the major differences between these different species is mostly limited to the heads and crests I drew only the heads of most of the different species:

The crests are a striking mark of differentiation (I guess there might be a way to come up with different textures or something for the crests of the Lambeo- and Corythosaurus (if they are to be included at all)) but there are very few other things, nothing we hadn't had with the other species already (spine crest, eyes etc.). Same as with the threehorns we might want to consider if a different size of the crests could be used to signify the character's gender, but once again there is a risk of this being interpreted as sexism:

[Malte279]

^ PS: a crestless variant of such a swimmer could be used for an Edmontosaurus.
In case of some other species it is not quite sure if they could with any real justification be labeled "swimmers" (referring to Maiasaura in particular). In general we have a few landwalkers (Pachycephalosaurus, Iguanodon) whose abilities or inabilities make it impossible to ascribe them to one of the existing kinds as they are rather individual. I don't know if it would be practicable to include them as playable characters or if perhaps they will make appearances as NPCs only; if at all. I have no idea how much work it takes to get a single one of these dinos on screen in 3D, but I assume it is an awful lot more work than it is to just scribble them on a piece of paper.

[Kor]

It would be best to not restrict the number of pc races I think.  But it may be easier at the start, depending on how hard it is to code or put in images of a char so it is playable to start with 1 of each of the main types, then add some over time to increase the number of choices, instead of trying to do all the 3d images of pc's at once.  Maybe something like 1 flyer, 1 swimmer, ect, or a couple of each, and maybe latter adding bit by bit, to make it easier on the folks making characters.  

Though I agree that some types may need to be in their own categories due to their unique abilities or other reasons.

[action9000]

Maybe something like 1 flyer, 1 swimmer, ect, or a couple of each, and maybe latter adding bit by bit, to make it easier on the folks making characters.

I totally agree with this.  We'll have one graphic of each type before we get into expanding the customization and species variety.

[Kor]

I guess the easiest ones to add first would be the ones that have the same bodies, but who's heads are different.  Unlike those who have different bodies and / or heads.

[action9000]

alllright everyone!  I'm working a few bugs out of the basic engine here that I've stumbled across, but once that's done we'll start working on some real game content!

What I'm needing from everyone are ideas for abilities, skills, or anything that the player's character can learn or use in-game, either to improve stats, accomplish something, make something easier, faster, do something completely new, something mainly for fun, another way to solve a problem, etc!  Any ideas are welcome!  B)

Here's why I ask right now:
I'm thinking that once we get the engine working, we can start adding in game content, which will quickly result in the character having stats and learning new skills.  The question is, what sort of in-game interface do we want?  The skills must be accessable somehow.  How do we want to be able to 'activate' the skills?

Skills are broken up into 2 major catagories:
Passive and Active:

Active Skills: Have to be activated by the player.  Active skills will typically require pressing a hotkey, clicking something on the interface or something similar to activate.  Most active skills will require Energy and their effectiveness will typically be reduced as the character has less energy.

Active skills would be things like Charge, Tail Swipe, etc.

Many active skills can be improved on, either by levelling up the skills or from having passive skills that increase its effectiveness.

Passive skills: Are always on, always applying to your character and don't consume energy by themselves.  Passive skills include things like 'improved sprint', which may be a passive ability for a longneck, for example.  As long as the player has this skill, their Sprint skill becomes more effective (faster, longer, less energy consumed, for example).  Passive skills typically either give the player access to something new in the world (such as giving the character the ability to climb, swim, jump higher, etc.) or improve other skills/stats that the character has.

[action9000]

I"m asking this now because we need to decide roughly how many active skills we'll have in the game.  If we'll be having a large variety of active skills, the game may benefit from an interface similar to MMO RPGs, like World of Warcraft:
http://www.idx3d.ch/temp/WoW%20Interface.jpg

Note at the bottom of the screen, there are a number of square icons running across?  Those are the hotkeyed skills.  The player can click on them or press the hotkey (appearing on the icon, set by the player) to activate the skill.

Malte pointed out to me that this system may be too complex for our game.  I don't have an easier idea in mind that doesn't restrict the player or complicate the process of using skills.  Basically, I want to find out if this system is necessary, how many skills we'll actually have when we're playing the game at higher levels, if we need a better design for the interface, if this will work, and exactly how we want to approach using skills in the game.

[Kor]

I have a few ideas.
 
2 footers: punching, tieing knots, maybe being more effective in using healing plants and such since they can apply more easily then 4 footers can, throwing things, carrying things in their hands,

Flyer types: dropping objects from a height,  Swoop attack, pecking, Maybe better distance vision since they are use to being high up and looking at the ground,

Swimmers: Maybe seeing better underwater then non swimmers who know how to swim, have a higher skill then non swimmers who know how to swim, even without putting points into it, though they can if they wish,

as for recovering energy, some larger folks, like Littlefoot may have more, but it takes him longer to fill his then Petrie or Ducky, but he can go longer without eating to refill his, so neither small or large has a clear advantage over this, since both have advantages.  1 leaf may be enough for Petrie or Ducky to be full of energy, but they'd have to eat more often, whereas the larger gang members have to eat more, but not as often.

Omnivores like Ruby maybe can eat more then treestars and other plants, though it may be very complex to put this in.  

Sharpteeth (if they are playable characters) would have to do with crawlers, insects, fish, and such like this.  Though they can use their teeth and claws more effectively maybe as weapons, being sharper maybe.

[Serris]

I have a few ideas.
 
2 footers: punching, tieing knots, maybe being more effective in using healing plants and such since they can apply more easily then 4 footers can, throwing things, carrying things in their hands,

Flyer types: dropping objects from a height.  Swoop attack, pecking,

Hmm.

I do recall combat was to play a small role.

Pecking and object bombardment could have non combat uses.


I also thought that maybe the Threehorn and Spiketail class can take more punishment (higher HP) than the other classes.


Longnecks can have an inherently greater vision range because of their height.


Flyers can only recieve a vision boost if they are flying (See Petrie's size compared to Littlefoot).

[General Grievous]

In terms of skill types, there are basic skills that every character should have, no matter what species they are.  Certain species may be better at using certain skills but I think all characters should have them anyway.

Swimming

Strength

Stamina

Tracking (useful for finding food easily.  As levels increase, better foods can be found more easily.  Perhaps it could be useful for when you have to find another object/character)

I don't know is combat would actually be a skill since it would play such a small part.

That is all I can think of at the moment.