Hi,
as some other threads broached the subject I made some brainstorm notes about a couple of elements which could take a very strong influence on the game. While there are some ideas we already discussed on MSN Tim there are also some subjects we haven't mentioned so far. In any case, anything I say are just ideas and suggestions while I am incapable of making a good estimate about which elements can be programmed and which cannot. So please nobody should take anything I say as some kind of announcements.
The elements I'm referring to are mainly the weather, the time of the day (both of which are interlinked to some degree), and the ground / terrain. All of these elements are likely to exert a very strong influence on what characters can do and what they can't and how difficult it would be.
I parted the elements in a couple of categories:
Time:
In many ways the time of the day would influence other elements about which more will be said later in this post (so I'm not going to talk too much about that part now). One of the most obvious differences between day and nighttime would be that at night (apart from a drop of temperatures) most NPCs would be sleeping and the visibility range ought to be seriously limited. This can be both beneficial (it's easier to sneak past a sleeping sharptooth when he could not rely too much on his sense of vision (he could still smell you) to find you) and encumbering (you too will not be able to see potential dangers as early as you might in broad daylight).
Temperature:
Simply put this could be three main states, hot, medium, and cold. Medium is what you would get on an average Great Valley day and it would not have a particular influence. Hot is what you would get sometimes depending on the weather (more on that later) and which would be an almost permanent state in deserts during daytime. Hot weather will be very taxing on your stamina and particularly so if you undertake special efforts (running, climbing, etc.) It also creates a special need for water (already mentioned in another thread) similar to the special need for oxygen in case of a diving character. Flyers might moderately benefit from hot weather as it might increase updrift winds (especially along rocky walls) so they would not have to flap as frequently to stay up in the air (this might to a limited degree compensate for the stamina loss to which flyers would be subjected same as everyone else). Staying in the shadow (of trees, rocks, larger characters etc.) is a good way to diminish the loss of stamina when the temperature is hot.
Cold is similar to hot in its effects. Increased stamina loss and you need to warm up (hot springs, shelters, staying close together etc.) similar to the need to drink during hot temperatures. Flying would be very taxing with the downdrifts of cold air.
Maybe there is a need for more temperature states. Perhaps a desert at night would behave like medium temperature land, but medium land should not be as taxing as some arctic region at night, that arctic region however would be even colder at night, wouldn't it? Anyway, it depends on how much can be realized and how much detail we want to have in.
Weather:
Clear Sky - Far visibility. It would often (not always of course) occur in combination with hot or cold temperatures. Flyers benefit from the fact that nothing is blocking out the sun which warms up the ground thus creating updrafts.
Cloudy Sky - Visibility still far though not quite as much as in case of a clear sky. Often found in moderate temperature regions.
Overcast - Lower visibility range and not much of an updrift for the flyers to be found.
Fog - Extremely low visibility. Might slow down characters, might disable flyers from flying because they see nothing except their most immediate surroundings.
Rain - Perhaps rain could come in two different forms, a slight drizzle or some really strong rain. The drizzle might be beneficial to characters in slowing down the decrease of stamina, but at the same time it might slow them down if the characters are walking on the respective terrain (more about that later). Strong rain would nullify the positive effect on the stamina and slow the characters down. Either form of rain would decrease the visibility range.
Snow - that's basically rain in combination with cold temperatures. It would not have a positive effect on the stamina, but it would slow you down and be vicious for flyers if they try to fly in it (rapid decrease of stamina if they try).
Thunderstorm - this would be the combination of rain and strong wind (more on wind later) along with some thunder and lightning. It would slow down anyone and flyers would not be permitted to fly any higher than their fellow character's walking altitude (we don't want Petrie to be toasted and even at the very low altitude the wind might make flying tricky). Visibility would be rather short.
Wind:
No wind - No effect.
Breeze - Slight benefit / penalty on flyer's speed and stamina decreas depending on whether they are flying with or against the wind.
Wind - Same as above but the benefit / penalty is increased.
Strong wind - the benefit / penalty is further increased and only experienced flyers should dare to fly in this weather that will impose slight speed and stamina penalties even upon their earthbound friends (no matter weather they are walking with or against the wind).
Storm - No flyer can fly in that and strong penalties are imposed on speed and stamina of walking characters as well. As this would be a rare case of a natural disaster we might want to consider something like health point damage from flying debris if you get hit. Characters are well advised to seek shelter.
Terrain:
Slopes are already done the way they should be slow you down to the point of no progress when they are really steep respectively speed you up if you run down. The main point here is the ground you are walking on.
Earth - That's the regular ground which will impose no bonus or penalty in normal weather. Rain however can turn it into mud which will slow walking characters down and increase stamina loss.
Rock - No rain is going to soften up the rocky ground in the mountains, so you would usually get faster from A to B on rocky ground. The nature of the terrain (steep rocky walls etc.) takes away some of that benefit though if you have to take roundabouts. Also this is a hard ground to land on in case you fall onto it or mess up a landing if you are a flyer. You would rather want to fall on soft earth or sand instead.
Sand - Found along banks, shores, and in deserts sand is going to slow you down and increase stamina loss. It makes a comparatively cushioned landing in case you fall onto it. Unlike earth, sand will not be turned into mud by rain and therefore not make for any additional penalty in case of rainy weather.
Quicksand / moor: No matter what, you don't want to walk into this as it will make you sink unless your friends save you (not scientifically correct, but that's what we see in LBT movies so I guess for once we got to abandon science).
Water: Much of this is already done. You wade (slowed down and increased stamina loss) in shallow and swim in deep water. Whether or not that is a benefit depends partly on what kind of character you are. Diving will start the oxygen bar to run down. There is a lot more to be said on currents etc. but that is a whole new topic in itself which should be discussed elsewhere.
Ice: In cold regions that is the usual ground. You cannot stop here quickly without sliding on for some distance, so you don't want to run on ice that is anywhere close to an abyss. If we are talking of ice covering a lake larger characters may (for good or bad) break through the sheet of ice. The water below would usually be so cold that it takes a toll on stamina and possibly HP if you end up in it.
The different elements described above would have very various effects if combined in different ways. For example Rain in hot weather while walking on earth without any wind might sum up to rather muggy weather that would slow you down. At normal weather the slow down effect may not be as bad if it wasn't for that sand you were walking on.
Obviously some features cannot be combined. You are not going to walk over sandy ground in a blizzard while the temperature is hot and there is no wind at all
