Andor's Trail Project Meeting #7

[sdevaney]

Andor’s Trail Project Meeting #7
2012-06-10
Present: Oskar Wiksten, Scott Devaney, Stephen Stalnaker, Matthew White

1. Follow-up from last meeting:
Schedule a time/date for public meeting - Saturday the 16th +3 hours from the time that we do this meeting. Max 2h meeting.

Summary of input from the release? - Mostly positive.
Explain the changes to critical hits (sticky post/info screen/tutorial quest)
We could also introduce game mechanics through books in game. (the NPC in Fallhaven that has a lot of books for example). They can also contain “lore” of the game.
Someone from the community could help with this!

2. Completed since the last meeting:
Released v0.6.11- Yay!
Changed source control to Git.
Lots of work on item categorization. (will be used for weapon proficiency)

3. Things that are being worked on:
Quests:
Dragon Quest - Maps started.
Alynndir’s Quest - (Nyktos) (B1GG13)
Gargoyle Quest - Malevelon
Please, Kill Me! - Ideas flowing.
Target Practice (Nyktos) Low Level “training quest”
Labyrinth Quest (Pyrizzle)

Questmaking tutorial - A nice large chunk finished hopefully polished and published by next meeting.

Started work on dual-wielding and two-handed weapons. What penalties should there be on the offhand weapon if you haven’t upgraded the dual-wielding skill? Cut the offhand effects in half.

Dual-wielding longswords? Only after a certain skill has been selected?
And the forum started this thread without being prompted.
[dual wielding thread:]
http://andorstrail.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1631

More domain names: .net, .org and .mobi (thanks Stephen!!) - Forward the nameservers to Stephen, so that we can point all the traffic towards the .com site.

4. Discussion of some forum threads/posts:
AP reaching 0 after using item, requiring the player to tap End Turn.
How should we handle this when the player reaches 0AP in the inventory screen ( by using items)?
- Exit inventory screen and proceed with combat
- Continue combat when returning to combat/navigation screen.

How should we re-stock merchants? Raise their quantities and restock every N minutes? Dynamic quantities based on the types of items that have been traded? - Re-stock every three minutes. Raise the bonemeal merchant to 70.

Should we start triggering effects (such as poison) after each combat round, while in combat? - At the start of each actor’s turn except the first one.

Mockup of a revised shop interface with checkboxes for selecting a “shopping basket” (also for selling)?
Remove the info button on the shop interface - > replace with single-click on item. Someone else could help with this.

Mockup of how a combat interface would look, where you can select different types of attacks? (aimed attack/defensive stance)
Someone else could help with this. Discuss more on next meeting.

Where would we put an icon for accessing the worldmap?

Perhaps consider placing a parchment style sketched map behind the Hero on the "Inventory" screen as a background. Upon touching the Hero icon, his location could be shown on the map area he/she is located at in game currently. Possibly add the 3 additional previously discussed item display boxes without filling them in just yet, for 2 reasons; one being the icons for those items need to be created, and the 2nd being that someone else may find more appropriate items to fill the boxes with other than 2 bracers/gauntlets, & a belt (SCS).

- Opaque icon up in the right-hand corner of the navigation screen.
- Toggled by quickslots being visible.
- Also: would like to have quickslots for switching equipment.
- Also: maybe change re-equip costs based on item category size/weight

TODO: Set up one meeting to just do prioritzation

Expanding the player base even further - ideas on how we can get more visibility?
- Twitter account: @andorstrail - Follow us!
- g4tv
- Put up some static content to safeguard against unintentional DDoS.
- Freshmeat
- Android app addicts updated?
- Podcasts
- Other sites with similar games (but do it tastefully and with good judgement)

Change in moderator structure, Scott & Matthew - new roles.
We are open to moderator applications

Other types of healing: potions or other items that give slow regeneration?
Will do: Changing food into being a slow (but strong) regenerative.

Even stronger healing potions with chances of “side-effects” (such as poison)?
- Potion that poisons you but raises your max hp temporarily.

We would really like input on other types of potions that we could add.

5. What should we have ready for the next meeting?
Dev roadmap for v0.6.12 - goals & assignments.
Outlines for quests in v0.6.12 (Duleian road, Lodar’s)
Questmaking tutorial published
Post on the forums about the public meeting.

Brainstorm:

~~ Backpack (Alt Gear Tab) - change all gear hotkey
~~ Rounds, during combat (( e.g. Barbed Dagger - bleeding wounds hurting enemy))
~~ Alchemy (( from Lodar? ))
~~ Members “Developer” Status Idea (partially implemented! thx Scott D!)
~~ New Thread - For use in meetings / fous on Forum Activity [partially implemented]
~~ Quest Access/ Dialogue Tweak... (see below)
http://andorstrail.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... 819#p15819

NEXT TIME:
Factions are being “Heavily Discussed”
i really wanted to post on it, but decided to (write/share) my thoughts here.
(we can talk about my thoughts later) =)

http://andorstrail.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1577

http://andorstrail.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1638

[insink71]

Couple ways to do lore. Books are a good choice. Also, a museum is a great bestiary explainer... Wander around and instead of combat on critter, a dialogue might open.. ex. You see a lifelike Wild Boar that appears frozen in a snarling dance with fate.. Then have a curator you could meet and explain more about local, indiginous wildlife.. just an idea.

[buddyCasino]

I'd like to see some mentors for the player. He is very young and might like someone to show him around every now and then. They could introduce him to lore.

Those mentors could make an interesting point for the story as they could be a subject of quest decisions. Do you make a sacrifice in order to be loyal to them or do you betray them in order to finish an important quest?

[DarkSavant13]

I think game lore is a good idea for books, the world's history and such, but I think explaining game mechanics through the books would be a bad idea. I've seen that done in other games and it takes you out of the story and fantasy of the game. I think the mechanics would be best described in the help menu.

[nyktos]

were you eaves dropping?



that's funny - because that's exactly where the conversation went.



(that meeting was the most exciting yet!)

[DarkSavant13]

were you eaves dropping?



that's funny - because that's exactly where the conversation went.



(that meeting was the most exciting yet!)

I have a bug planted in Mikhail's cabin.

[duallifes]

Other types of healing: potions or other items that give slow regeneration?
Will do: Changing food into being a slow (but strong) regenerative.

Even stronger healing potions with chances of “side-effects” (such as poison)?
- Potion that poisons you but raises your max hp temporarily.

We would really like input on other types of potions that we could add.

I got plenty of ideas for differend kind of potions. I leave the extact stats up to delevopers and I dont think too much of balance, thats is also topic for developers.

Potion of Prolonged life
Effect: Heals you up to full health (or somekind of % of it) but only temporally, after certain amount of rounds, you will lose the whole effect, unless if you drink real healing potions. If your hp goes to 0 or below, you will go unconcious like normally. You can counter this by getting your hp over 0 with real healing potions/good.
Good for hard combats where you just need couple more rounds to kill the mob and you can heal quickly after the combat. Only one potion of prolonged life can be in effect at any time.

Potion of Bloodlust
Effect: Every time you kill a monster, you receive +2ap and +2hp. Potion makes you lust for blood, fleeing doesnt even come in your mind; unable to flee from combat. Very short effect.

Potion of eluding
Effect: Makes monsters XX% harder to spot you, making it less likely they will attack you. No effect in combat, as once they spot you, they know you are there. Long effect.

Potion of Shadows Embrace/Justice's embrace
Effect: Has 100% chance to remove 1 negative effect, 50% to remove second negative effect and 10% chance to remove third negative effect. Doesnt have any effect on permanent (ie from items) effects.

[buddyCasino]

Potion of prolonged life sounds great.

What about purifying potions? They could reduce negative actor conditions and need to be made from specific loot like poison glands or dead spiders.

[nyktos]

What about purifying potions? They could reduce negative actor conditions and need to be made from specific loot like poison glands or dead spiders.

working with raw items to make potions?
sounds like something Lodar would know about...

[Cyracus]

My phone automatically updated it without telling me so I was wondering how to get it. Now I can't find the new content can anybody post a link to an updated map (can't find any myself, not even old map) imo whenever a post announces a new release if there's a map updated to the update a link should be posted there too. Love the game and sure i'll love the update once I find the new stuff.